"The spirit of an artwork is what runs underneath and also what binds all the surface activity, and it is that spirit that convinces you about an artist's work." - Celaya, On Art And Mindfulness
On our last day before heading back we watched Wildlike, directed by Frank Hall Green. Not surprisingly has toured 150 Festivals and picked up 45 Best Film wins along the way. Ella Purnell delivers a performance which is so pure, instinctual and raw Americana, despite being a Brit. The connection between her and Bruce Greenwood's character and their chemistry on screen no doubt inspired the emotional strength of the last scene. The film is beautifully shot, capturing the spirit of the Alaskan wilderness.
As we drive home I think about another firey female spirit Aida Tomescu who has an exhibition Sullivan & Strumpf in Sydney which opened this weekend (November 7th - 28th). Aida was a guardian and a role model to me as a little boy, when I lived in Sydney, I remember doing my class project on her when I was 8 years old, she was kind enough to humor a young curious mind, I remain inspired and in admiration of her work, wish I could be there to see this exhibition, but for now digital consumption will have to do.
Aida Tomescu talks about the embodiment of color. Paint's relationship to itself when a moment on the canvas is realized. To see her focus and strength is inspiring. These paintings truly feel like the extension of her being.
Eyes In Heat expresses the sensual feelings of primacy. It doesn't quiver, it doesn't radiate it ravages on the spirit of both the artist and the observer. There is a furious affirmation of life that punches into the space these paintings command. Pounding at the doorway to the primordial, the striking, the motivation to exist in a space of intense pleasure. There is a shaking of the mediocre that occurs with engagement, a will to subvert to extend and surpass. To reach another plain of ambiguous other than human feeling that can bare ravaging heat.