Opening reception on Saturday, Feb. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring a
6:30 p.m performance by pianist Michael S. Jaynes.
The exhibition runs
through Sunday, March 17
Hudson Hall, 327 Warren St., Hudson.
Artist statement
Maryna Bilak
CARE
The reality of caring for someone with advanced Alzheimer's
is more insane than any work of fiction. I tried to convince myself that my
studio was my “happy place” and that art-making was my rescue. But my thoughts
all focused on the everyday experience of sharing an intimate space with
someone who is physically and mentally disabled. When the energy of denial
exhausted itself, I decided to embrace my reality and consciously navigate and
dedicate my creativity. Suddenly everything made sense. I stared and began to
see patterns in my artwork from the last five years—the time I have lived with
my mother-in-law. She became my model, and the body I watched and touched so
many times became an inspiration for the active studio process.
The work I have done for this project is only a tiny
expression of my experience which is as complex as it is difficult to define.
The verities of the materials speak to the endless cycle of care. Using different
media allowed me to work through different emotions. Clay, plaster, charcoal,
acrylic, wood, cloth, nails, lime, pigments among others learned to coexist.
There are no words and there are no colors to represent the
tragedy of Alzheimer’s disease and the impact it has on people providing care.
But no matter what the subject is, for an artist, good form comes first.
Without a good form there is no content.
This show is a resolution: to decline to be a hero and
refuse to be a victim. Every piece contributed to my process of releasing
strong, repressed emotions as a caregiver, as a daughter-in-law and as a wife.
Preparation for this show provided relief and served as catharsis of all the
struggle and frustration.
