A two person exhibition by Elana Mann and James Griffith in a Mid-century modern architectural church in Pasadena, built in 1967.
Opening Reception: Saturday February 25th, 2pm - 5pm

789 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena, CA 91107

The most boring and unproductive question one can ask of any religion is whether or not it is true - in terms of being handed down from heaven to the sound of trumpets and supernaturally governed by prophets and celestial beings. -Alain de Botton, Religion for Atheists

WORD. brings together two artists: one of Jewish upbringing and one with no religious affiliation. In a time of renewed urgency in the contest for authority within religious traditions, it is often the artists, the outsiders, the heretics and the rebels who sneak into the house and run off with the idols. Progressive politics ignores religion at its own peril - the sacred house of existential meaning is owned by no one.

ELANA MANN 

The Foyer Gallery features the second iteration of Elana Mann's collaborative, performative work recently unveiled at Human Resources in Chinatown. The sculptural objects take the form of rattles, noisemakers, casts of hands turned into trumpets... a collection of tools designed for protest and ready for future deployment. They line the sweeping curved walls of the transitory space between the outside world and inner sanctuary, creating a dialogue with the Mid-century modern architecture of local architect John Galbraith, circa 1967, and the over 100 year old pipe organ in the balcony. Originating in the oral / aural tradition of her Jewish heritage, Elana Mann's work is a bridge that connects current struggles for human rights and female bodily autonomy with forgotten or suppressed aspects of the religious imagination.

JAMES GRIFFITH

The Sanctuary features James Griffith's paintings of cosmic phenomena and blackened landscapes, punctuated with words expressing existential longing. In a process that is as reductive as it is additive, Griffith uses one of the oldest, most elemental earthly resources: tar that he collects from the pits of La Brea, Los Angeles. With the paintings situated between a suite of 1967 Judson Studios stained glass windows, the shards of colored stones suspended between grains of sand further mediate the viewer's experience of living within dualities of the micro and the macro. With his fingers in the depths of the earth and eyes on the skies, James Griffith's work positions itself in the psychological space between.

Celebrate the Launch of Irenic Projects

This event also marks the official launch of a program founded by artist Gregory Michael Hernandez in April 2019. Irenic Projects is now a project of Fulcrum Arts' Emerge Fiscal Sponsorship Program.