I spent this afternoon at Kompatscher gallery, taking down the paintings from “10”. It was quite an emotional moment. Thinking about the exhibition, the many months of preparation and everything I experienced along the way.
It took me about a year to prepare this exhibition. Each piece required a lot of thinking and planning, and there were many questions to be answered- What does each commandment mean? What does it mean for me? What do I want to tell people? How am I going to tell it to them? And do they even want to listen?
And then there was the practical side, thinking about the size of each painting, what material to paint on, and a lot of problems to solve along the way! For “Honor thy father and thy mother” I knew I wanted to construct a house out of canvas and wood, for another piece I decided to use thread and stitching, all areas that I know very little about! Often, as an artist, you have a vision of what you want a piece to look like, and to get there, you need to venture into completely new territory! But I am happy and grateful for every challenge, I learned so much, and grew and developed artistically.
After the paintings were finished, came the doubts and fears. Will people want to see my art? Will they understand my message and see what I’m trying to tell them? Am I ready to put myself out there and potentially be torn apart by the critics?
In the end, the whole experience turned out to be more than I could ever have wished for. “10” was one of the most successful exhibitions in the area, with more than 600 visitors. People came from all over, young and old, from different cultures and backgrounds. Most visitors really took their time in front of each painting, some were so emotional, they left with tears in their eyes, with others I had long discussions about art, culture, politics, the world.
And many people felt inspired. There was a lady who said she would like to discuss the topic of values with her family this Christmas. Artists came to talk about techniques and some felt inspired to develop similar topics in their own work. Teachers came and said they would like to use art to discuss ethics with their students. I left the gallery every evening, feeling completely overwhelmed.
Thank you to all of you, for your support, encouragement, your love and friendship, and for opening your hearts and listening to my art.