My sister, sculptor Marilee Schumann, has defined my work as liminalist, not just a transition from one stage to another, but also actually being on the precipice of that transition. How do we live with art, or create art? For centuries “fine art” was solely under the purview of men. To be held up as an iconoclastic symbol of perfection, of homage to the great and the Gods of men. Put it on a wall, never touch it, and stand far away from it. Just as I believe that our whole culture, religious and political structure needs to be shifted away from the patriarchal view, I want to skew the viewer’s perception of art so that they may become a part of it, touch it, walk on it, enter into it physically and intellectually (or spiritually).
The title of my recent work, Into the Black, comes from a Neil Young song. The phrase, “out of the blue and into the black” refers to the idea that we are constantly stepping into the unknown. But I’m using the phrase to signify not just stepping into that unknown, but that every action we take is a step into the unknown: irreversible, immutable. I believe in deconstructing my self from my work, but even just drawing a line on a page is an irreversible action. The line can be erased, the page thrown away, burned; but the action itself, once made, cannot be undone. My most recent work, Redemption Series, redeems us from those actions and sends us forward.
And then there’s finally what art really is to me:
A Requiem to a moment that has just passed.
Deborah McLeod, the well-known art critic and curator, wrote, “The idea, and the meaning (and of course, the permission) of standing on a work of art is cunning…Wilson’s handsomely painted elaborate floor cloths are humble and meant to be underfoot, highly susceptible yet fully resistant to little splats of spilled stuff. But in their insights they are also defiant little realms of possibility and eccentricity laid on blank, conventional floors. They invite you to step across the threshold from the mundane to the artistic. Moreover, to stand on something is to allow it to become your stated position; your perimeters; your jurisdiction; your sacred world and pilgrimage.”
Faith Wilson
