Astonishing beadwork by @katieryankatieryan Three works titled, Bad Lemon (Persephone), Bad Lemon (Tart), and Bad Cherries (BFF). "The conceptual operation of these sculptures is deceptively simple. Ryan’s fading fruit evokes the tradition of European vanitas painting and its representational systems that relied so much on a purportedly shared lexicon of culture, economy, and human nature. I am one of those art history students of a certain age whose worldview was vastly enlarged when I learned, courtesy of Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait (1434), that oranges symbolized vitality and wealth in 15th century Holland. There it was: wealth, privilege, gender roles, all in an arrangement of oranges. At the other end of this timeline—now—lemons and cherries are oft-used emojis representing sour and/or sexually suggestive sentiments. In other words, what Ryan attempts in this body of work isn’t simple by half. Fruit represents. A lemon might symbolize longevity, friendship, purity, bitterness, disappointment—or a persistently defective car. The dark red flesh and juice of a cherry symbolize sex and virginity; in Japanese culture, it is the warrior’s blood and self-sacrifice. In Christianity, cherries represent, in the hands of baby Jesus, paradise." —excerpt from Jenelle Porter, "Kathleen Ryan: Rot" . . . #bead #beads #beadwork #beading #beadart #beadartist #beadlove #beadaddict #beadswork https://www.instagram.com/p/CfbCQqEPGnn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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