I have often wondered why so many good people have such different and divisive opinions. ART AS SOCIAL INQUIRY asks the questions: Are we our opinions? Or are we something more? Then what? What is beyond the emotional charge of our opinions? And how do we get there?
In ART AS SOCIAL INQUIRY I paint portraits of real people who live the social issues of the day, issues like illegal immigration and health insurance.
ASI aims to move opinions out of our heads into the real world. ASI challenges the viewers to direct their opinions at the real people depicted in the portraits — people with real stories about health care, war, immigration,etc. The experience of interacting with the portraits and the stories of the subjects invites viewers to understand how their opinions affect the lives of the people depicted in the portraits before they hold fast to their opinions.
I upload pictures of the paintings to this site where you, the viewers of the portraits, are encouraged to speak out about the social issues represented by the people depicted in the portraits. No holds barred.
The portraits offer themselves up as recipients of uneasiness, justifications, political correctness and incorrectness, rationalizing, embarrassment, rage, sadness, compassion, hate, fear, hope, anxiety…whatever.
Post your opinions/comments on the website or write to T@ArtAsSocialInquiry.org. I am collecting your opinions/stories. Comment anonymously if you wish.
The portraits offer us a place to vent — fully and completely — in order to distance ourselves from our opinions. With our emotions safely deposited onto the portrait, we might experience ourselves beyond the heaviness and burden of opinions and emotions. Without having to defend our emotions, we might experience curiosity, and then explore the opinions and experiences of others.
We, as part of a nation, become individuals connecting. Perhaps connecting will facilitate some deeper understanding of an issue and become a catalyst for movement toward a resolution.
I call this process ART AS SOCIAL INQUIRY. Forward this website to as many people as you wish. Participate in the solution.
