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MS. COSMOPOLITE

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

 

Tower of Babel


For me, great art needs to ignite both my mind and feed my soul. These days I am feeling rather spoiled being able to be see Josh Dorman’s fantasyscapes in the mezzanine gallery of CAFAM every day. (If you haven’t already seen "Within in Four Miles": The World of Josh Dorman, plan a visit soon! Check out the LA Times review for more information!) In the gallery entry stands Josh’s masterpiece, The Tower of Babel, a 8 feet tall painted collage created on vintage maps and constructed out of 32 panels. There are literally thousands of details to discover and every viewing feels like a new treasure hunt. Last week I found a baby footprint (created by Josh’s baby daughter) and a Halliburton truck fleeing from a construction site. Like Pieter Brueghel’s famed Tower of Babel, Josh’s contemporary work reflects the hubris of human action and arrogance in a powerful way.

According to the biblical story, Babel was a city that united humanity, with all inhabitants speaking the same language. (“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech”, starts the story in the Book of Genesis.) The fate of the city changed when the townsfolk decided to build a tower so tall that it would have "its top in the heavens." God, witnessing the people’s arrogance and false motives, sent down to earth confused languages and scattered the people throughout the world. The beauty of diverse languages certainly adds flavour and dimension to our world but, also makes communication a bit more challenging... As I mourned the destruction of the two towers in NYC last week, the blight left by the “confusion of languages” felt palpable and I prayed for a return to Babel minus the tower.

Peace,


Ms. Cosmopolite

Comments :
At first sight of Dorman's take on the tower of babel, I too was reminded of the Twin Tower's...And your reference to the complexity of communication and language really highlights how prevalent the story of Babel is in these times. We have come so far, and yet not far enough. That is one of my favorite works in the exhibition. Thanks!
 
The destruction of both the Tower of Babel and Twin Towers hold important messages for humanity yet, it seems much more healing needs to take place before a deeper understanding is reached..
 
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Cosmopolite \koz-MOP-uh-lyt\, noun:
1. One who is at home in every place; a citizen of the world; a cosmopolitan person.

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About Ms. Cosmopolite

Ms. Cosmopolite is a blog offering a feminine perspective on art, culture, politics, and life behind the scenes of a museum. Created by the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum, the blog is primarily written by its current Executive Director, Maryna Hrushetska (a blonde who vaguely resembles the blog's representative illustration). Written with a blend of whimsy and substance, Ms. Cosmopolite reinforces the museum’s worldview of building common ground through the universal lens of art. Discussion topics range from exhibition themes, social and political commentary, and all things Venusian.

The Ms. in the blog name is homage to both the group of women that founded the establishment in 1965 and the current all female full-time staff. Additionally, a cosmopolite is defined as someone who is at home in every culture; a citizen of the world; a cosmopolitan person; and magnificently embodies the museum’s current mission.


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