Every act of creation, by its mere existence, denies the world of master and slave. -Albert Camus, The Rebel We often hear people claim to be slaves to their work, or the system of work, which implies a type of…
Part of what makes us unique is that we contain bits of memories that belong to our histories and experiences. Yet we connect with each other and find solidarity through our being in the world. Even as people have become…
A panorama opens as you approach the crest of Prospect Hill in Harvard, Massachusetts. The vastness in graduated shades of distant blues and greens, immediately loosens one’s hold on time and space. A 180-degree view encompasses noteworthy peaks, from left…
Helen Singh-Miller is an artist and practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education. Grand Union (2018), her new film incorporating elements of family life and postmodern dance, will be installed at the 33rd Bienal de São Paulo this fall.…
“The Last Days of Pompeii” is a loaded phrase, conjuring both tragedy and opulence. Multimedia artist and musician Delia Gonzalez takes these words and burns them across a wall in a sultry pink, neon script in her solo exhibition List…
Anna Schuleit Haber’s exhibit Scientific Purposes (In which a murderous hairdresser donates his head to science, with one restriction) creates a space for people to confront their unique stories, especially their tragedies. She deliberately does not say much about her…
Imagine, if you will, the following scenario. Intrigued by a book of poems you’ve just discovered at your local bookstore, you decide to get in touch with its young author with an appreciative mail. (You’re about the same age, and…
The impetus for the Butch Heroes series was curiosity. I had a desire to find out how queer people survived throughout history—specifically, how I would have survived. Obviously, this is a futile question. There is, of course, no way for…
Last week, the Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts hosted the most recent of its informal, semi-monthly artist-generated/artist-hosted conversation series, Gertrude’s Artists Salon, which explores ideas that grow out of and into art. This installment, presented in…
Catholic holy cards are cherished objects. I chose to use the format and style of the holy card for my Butch Heroes series because of their connection to my personal history. Even though I’m not a Catholic any longer, I…
LGBTQIA terms have always been complicated for me, primarily because their meaning and usage can change over time (both on a personal level and in the larger LGBTQIA community). And, some terms conflate gender and sexuality. Thankfully, new terms emerge…
When is resistance futile, and when is it an effective tool for change? Throughout history and across the globe, women, people of color, and other marginalized groups have resisted against the abuse of power. The film exhibition List Projects: Civil…
Big Red & Shiny is pleased to welcome Boston-based artist Ria Brodell to our residency series, Inside/Out. Brodell’s painstakingly rendered gouache paintings depict pre-twentieth-century historical figures who strayed outside their assigned gender and sought alternative ways of living. “Butch Heroes” memorializes their…
“A book, or a work of art [culture] cannot by itself change the world, but by asking the questions that matter, it might attempt to be an act of articulation against violence, both the brutal and casual kinds. It might…
“A book, or a work of art [culture] cannot by itself change the world, but by asking the questions that matter, it might attempt to be an act of articulation against violence, both the brutal and casual kinds. It might…
“May you live in interesting times.” – Chinese curse With the fate of the planet hanging precariously in the balance, there’s at least one thing about which we can all be certain: we are living in interesting times. While it’s…
At the center of Sandra Erbacher’s exhibition is an unsettling discovery found in an unlikely place. While flipping through the book Office Furniture from 1984 on adjustable desks and modular furniture, she found an image of men and women seated…
Despite an increase of U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba in the recent past, the popular American image of that island nation remains a combination of ‘50s cars and fine cigars, symbols of a discourse stuck on insularity and trade restrictions.…
“A book, or a work of art [culture] cannot by itself change the world, but by asking the questions that matter, it might attempt to be an act of articulation against violence, both the brutal and casual kinds. It might…
In her solo exhibition at Kingston Gallery, Fare Well: The Art of Ending, on view August 30 – October 1, Kathleen Gerdon Archer’s photographic work demonstrated a masterful ability to blend abstraction, process, and place. Gerdon Archer credits the inspiration…