Concerning Art and Religion, No. 1

Junko Chodos
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In October of 2003, Junko spoke at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, on the subject of art and spirituality. What makes art "spiritual"? This is a question which has occupied this artist for many years. For her, the answer does not lie in the specific subject matter, nor in the nature of the space in which the work is intended to be displayed (such as a church or a temple). Instead, it has to do with the nature of the process of creation, and the depth of the artist's involvement with themes which are central to both art and religion.

After giving her talk, Junko returned to her studio late in November, 2003 and created eight new works on mylar, dealing with three of those common themes: destructiveness, organic/ inorganic, and revelation. Pictured to the right is the first of those works, captioned: Why do demons and angels both fly in the sky? The theme of this work is Destructiveness.

All the works are on industrial mylar support, with acrylic and acetate, 84" x 42". The captions can be read at the top of each work, and the theme discussed is set forth in parentheses at the top of each page.