Wesley Theological Seminary's Luce Center for the Arts & Religion presents 'In League with Devils' by Michael Petry
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Saturday, October 12, 2024


Wesley Theological Seminary's Luce Center for the Arts & Religion presents 'In League with Devils' by Michael Petry
Apollo’s Mirror, patinated bronze, 2020. Apollo’s Mirror, virtual sculpture installation, VOMA, 2023.



WASHINGTON, DC .- The Luce Center hosts In League with Devils by Michael Petry, a leading multi-media artist, author, and director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in London. The exhibition in the Dadian Gallery opens May 5 (Friday) at 12pm and runs through August 21.

The Bible praises “the Living God” and decries the deities of surrounding cultures, from the Assyrians to the Greeks, as mere lifeless idols. Yet these forgotten gods—left for dead in the dustheap of history—are precisely the ones that interest Michael Petry.

“I feel like an archaeologist sifting through the sands of time to uncover the old stories, the old myths, the old beliefs on which modern believers act,” reflects the artist. “I have bathed in the spirit of the ancients. Marduk and Thor, Brigit and Ra, Janus and Seth are only a few of the now mythologized gods of old. They are no longer held in the respect they were, but does that stop them from being gods? Is it simply time that morphs a god into a myth, and if so what of the current gods, and devils? Will they too just become stories told around a camp fire?”

Steeped in the history of religion, Petry’s exhibition finds the perfect home at Wesley Seminary, with its rich collection of ancient artifacts from the Middle East. With a keen eye for historic techniques and materials, Petry casts mysterious objects and ritual appurtenance from silver, gold, and bronze.

For his installation At the Foot of the Gods, Petry cast dozens of bronze toes from life from contemporary cultural icons. These comprise the central installation in the gallery, while the artist also places glass versions in sly locations around campus. In Piercing the Barrier, Petry inserts verdigris patinated bronze arrows into trees in Wesley’s quad, evoking the Catholic saint (and latter-day queer icon) Saint Sebastian as well as the erotic tools of Cupid.

Apollo's Mirror—patinated and polished to look like ancient Greek originals—sits in Wesley’s Oxnam Chapel. As part of the Luce Center’s exciting new collaboration with VOMA (www.voma.space), the world’s first virtual online museum, Petry has also created a digital collectible of Apollo's Mirror, available for patrons to purchase to support future collaborations.

The exhibition is curated by Aaron Rosen, PhD, director of the Luce Center for the Arts & Religion and author of Art & Religion in the 21st Century. In League with Devils is accompanied by an eponymous hardback book with essays by Petry, Rosen, Daniell Cornell, and Rick Herron, with an introduction by British comedy legend Stephen Fry (sample texts available to download here; full review copies available upon request).

Michael Petry (b. Texas, 1960) has lived in London since 1981. He studied at Rice University (BA), London Guildhall University (MA), and has a Doctor in Arts from Middlesex University. Petry is an artist, author and director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) London. Petry is a Fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (FRBS), served as the first Artist in Residence at Sir John Soane’s Museum (2010/11) and was included in Frontiers Reimagined (2015) at the Venice Biennale. Petry’s many books include: The Art of Not Making: The New Artist Artisan Relationship (2011, pbk 2012); Nature Morte: Contemporary Artists Reinvigorate the Still-Life Tradition (2013); and The WORD is Art (2018, pbk 2021). Petry’s book Hidden Histories: 20th Century Male Same Sex Lovers in the Visual Arts (2004) was the first comprehensive survey of its kind, accompanying an eponymous exhibition he curated at The New Art Gallery Walsall. The Trouble with Michael, a monograph of his practice, was published by Art Media Press (2001). His two-volume book Golden Rain (2008) accompanied his installation for the On the Edge exhibition for Stavanger 2008, European Capital of Culture. Recent solo shows include A Twist in Time, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (2016) and In the Realm of the Gods, Holburne Museum, Bath (2017-18).










Today's News

May 5, 2023

American Museum of Ceramic Art opens 'From a Gift to a Collection: Igal & Diane Silber'

Eli Wilner is framing a major discovery in honor of Israel's 75th anniversary

Berggruen Gallery opens the exhibition 'Recent Paintings' by Sarah Blaustein

McNay Art Museum awarded national grant for new Curator of Latinx art position

MoMA PS1 presents major exhibition of Puerto Rican artist Daniel Lind-Ramos

The Met Gala was just the start. Welcome to the after-parties.

Harnessing earth and fire to create natural vessels

MCA Chicago announces the appointment of its New Chief Financial Officer and Chief Development Officer

Rarely seen Arthur Boyd tapestries go on show in Adelaide

María Elena González Riven now opening at Hirschl & Adler Modern

Wesley Theological Seminary's Luce Center for the Arts & Religion presents 'In League with Devils' by Michael Petry

New painting exhibition by Emma Tod launches at IMT Gallery

NOMA exhibition includes 100 rings that reinvent an age-old jewelry form

Contemporary art takes the lead at Roland Auction's April 29th Estates Auction

A daughter of a Warhol superstar tells her story at last

Chris Wheeldon's 'Dangerous and Exciting' adventure at City Ballet

Bassist covers all the Latin and jazz bases

What would Karl have thought of it all?

Howard University selects a new President, a historian

Kate Bush, Missy Elliott and Willie Nelson voted into Rock Hall of Fame

"Austin Eddy: Even An Island Has The Ocean" opens at Berggruen Gallery

UK's largest outdoor art installation to open at Wakehurst this Spring

Review: At Trisha Brown, a new voice with a family resemblance

'Oliver!' returns, with darker twists intact

In 'City on Fire,' the New York of the early 2000s burns bright

Exploring What London Has to Offer

Cracking the Code: Understanding the Business Model Canvas for Success




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful