Burma

As my pregnant belly swelled with a growing Thatcher Gray through our second trimester, I resided at the Ragdale Foundation outside of Chicago. I was awarded a residency to create on a series of mixed media works depicting the confined shrines I photographed in Myanmar 3 years prior. I was struck by how many Buddhist shrines were kept in cages under lock and key and felt the images were a poignant reflection of the political climate there. I photographed many along our journey, and later used them as a foundation for this series of works. Some pieces contain collaged Burmese newspaper, some contain gold leafed papers that are traditionally burned during Buddhist funerals. The works were created with a xerograph process which involves transferring xerox copies, in this case high contrast photographs I took of the cages that surrounded the shrines. Atop the transfers, embedded within the cages, are the golden shrines, well tended aside from being caged. While some youth declared otherwise, the passive acceptance taught in Buddhism allowed space for a militaristic government to implement severe control tactics over this peaceful population. Friends who worked medicine in border populations told of exterminations that regularly took place against tribal populations who existed on the fringes of the country, ignored by the international media. It was heartbreaking to know of these atrocities taking place, especially after getting to know people there. We visited while a western embargo was in place. Recognizing that an embargo has little effect if a big power like China is supporting the military Junta, we visited so that we could make connections with creatives who lived there. We brought them international art magazines and they shared their activist works, which were ephemeral street performances by nature, works that could evaporate in moments if the wrong person came along. They appreciated the rare glimpse to the outside world and knowing that there are people who care.

Because I was pregnant at the time I created these, the media became light, water based and smaller in scale than what I had been creating prior. Whispers.

Works are created by using xerography: a method of transferring xerox copies using wintergreen oil. Collaged with official newspaper, the figurative elements were created using watercolor, conte & pencil. Works created in 2008 from photographs taken on site in 2005.