There is no surprise this year's Art in Odd Places theme (Ritual) will bring a lot of projects with obvious religious undertones. Our artist for this entry does exactly that. There will be holy water, prayer cards and other religious objects present to entice fans, worshipers, and soon to be converts. Religion often is a touchy subject , and Carolina Mayorga uses art (more specifically, "public art") as an avenue to explore the matter. You might think the project has a very serious nature, but the artist assures us there is humor infused in it.
Get to know our 2011 AiOP artist , Carolina Mayorga, better and see what her work for the festival is all about.
AiOP: Tell us about you?CM: I'm a visual artist based in Washington, DC. My work addresses issues of social and political content. Comments on migration, war, identity, translate into video, performance, site-specific installations, and Two-dimensional media in the form of photography and drawing.
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The Miraculous Artist 2009
photo courtesy of Carolina Mayorga
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AiOP: How did you hear about Art in Odd Places?CM: I was forwarded the call by colleague artist Linda Hesh who participated last year.
AiOP: Walk us through your thought process in creating your piece for Art in Odd Places.CM: After the emergence of The Miraculous Artist in the Nation’s Capital, I found that this year's Art in Odd Places theme Ritual was the perfect platform to introduce the character to NYC. The dates for the festival became the title of the piece: The Miraculous Artist Columbus Day Special. I will use the holiday week to gather followers and persuade them into adoring The Miraculous Artist in order to get prayer cards that will guarantee health, prosperity and love.
As a strategy to recruit more people and aware of the importance of the Hudson River to New Yorkers, The Miraculous Artist will claim the prayer cards have been pre-dipped in these holy waters.
For AIOP The Miraculous Artist will not be soliciting money in exchange of her prayer cards as on previous occasions. Instead she will be asking for a gesture of adoration from her worshipers. Stay tuned to find out exactly what she expects.
AiOP: How is the preparation coming along?CM: I'm in the process of deciding props/sounds for the different apparitions and journeys. There's the possibility of a cloudy apparition at the beginning of each journey and the use of different sound bites from an infomercial advertising the praying cards.
Here's the link for the video:
http://carolinamayorga.com/series/dac_13_2.html
AiOP: Where will we see you along 14th street during the festival?CM: The Miraculous Artist will make her first appearance during the opening reception at Theater Lab. Her processions will begin at subway stations along 14th street beginning at 1st ave. and ending at 8 ave. Basically i will be walking around all along 14th street.
AiOP: What do you hope to bring to the festival?CM: I'm hoping to bring a humorous look at the commercialization of spiritual values. I'm also hoping participation/interaction with other artists in the AIOP festival, we can arrange a special blessing for your project! Don't hesitate to contact me, I'll be happy to participate in your project as well.
AiOP: Any message to the people who will be in 14th street during the festival?CM: People in NYC can't miss the unique opportunity of receiving advice from The Miraculous Artist and get a hold on her Miraculous Prayer Cards. Whether you got laid off, don’t have health insurance, or are feeling lonely, these Cards, pre-dipped in the holy waters of the Hudson River, are exactly what New Yorkers need. Don't delay and find out how you can get the Cards that will turn your life around forever!
AiOP: Where can we reach you (twitter handle would be great)CM: Facebook- Carolina Mayorga
e-mail: camayorga@gmail.com
e-mail: carolinamayorga20@hotmail.com
carolinamayorga.com
AiOP: Any final words?CM: If there's any artist interested in a Miraculous Artist Special Blessing of their AIOP project I'd love to hear from you! I'll be happy to collaborate in your project as well.
