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An exhibition of photographs called “The extraordinary aspect of ordinary things”
April 22, 2010
Photographers turn a moment into something special, hold it, polish it, eternalize it, and make it extraordinary. For St Josemaria Escriva, everyone capable of eternalizing everyday things – as he said, “Heaven and earth seem to merge on the horizon. But where they really meet is in your hearts, when you sanctify your everyday lives” (Conversations, “Passionately loving the world”, no. 116)
The civic association Communication and Culture in Venezuela is putting on an exhibition of photographs called “The Extraordinary Thing about Ordinary Things,” twenty-six photographs by six young photographers which invite the visitor to dialogue with the message of Opus Dei founder St Josemaria Escriva.
The display includes nine texts written by St Josemaria, whom Pope John Paul II called “the patron saint of ordinary life”, in which he speaks of lights and shadows, joy, work, freedom, and optimism. These are linked with fragments from people’s daily lives captured by the lenses of Argenis Bellizzio, Jean Herrera, Maryori Cabrita, Trevor Cornilliac, Aaron Sosa and Meridith Kohuth.
“The Extraordinary Thing about Ordinary Things” was inaugurated in the Daniel Suarez Gallery, Caracas, and will then move to the Espacios Libres Gallery in El Hatillo’s art center; Fundana exhibition hall in Petre, and public library galleries in Los Teques, Guatire and Ocumare del Tuy. After that it will be on show around the rest of the country, in San Cristobal, Merida, Maracaibo, Punto Fijo, Barquisimeto and Valencia.
According to Maria Gabriella Nicolicchia, president of “Communication and Culture” (CyC), the exhibition invites viewers, through artistic photography and St Josemaria’s phrases, to discover transcendence in what seems to be least transcendent in ordinary life. The exhibition’s strength lies in the way the photographs mesh with St Josemaria’s thought. The photographers have been able to see something special in the most commonplace daily things. They turn a moment into something special, hold it, polish it, eternalize it, and make it extraordinary. This recalls St Josemaria’s words: “Heaven and earth seem to merge on the horizon. But where they really meet is in your hearts, when you sanctify your everyday lives.” The exhibition unites the artist’s eye with the eye of love, looking at daily realities in the certainty that something surprising is to be found.
The depth and transcendence of the message challenges people of every sphere, creed or school of thought. It speaks of things that everyone has in common, and presents a call to reconciliation and optimism.
“Through this project,” added Nicolicchia, “the CyC seeks to bring a message of inclusion and hope, to cultivate art as a humanizing element, and at the same time to promote talented young artists.”
The display is curated by Kelly Martinez and Jose Luis Omaña, who say in their introduction that “we wanted to make this exhibition into a space to show the image as an event, as a spark of light, as a fortunate second in which ordinary and extraordinary aspects converge by a sort of happy coincidence.”
The travelling exhibition includes a catalogue which is itself a work of art, including graphics, the texts of Opus Dei founder St Josemaria, and personal reflections by Laureano Marquez, political commentator and comedian, and Alicia Alamo Bartolome, architect, writer and playwright.
Daniel Suarez Gallery, La Florida, Caracas, Venezuela
“The Extraordinary Thing about Ordinary Things” was inaugurated in the Daniel Suarez Gallery, Caracas, and will then move to the Espacios Libres Gallery in El Hatillo’s art center; Fundana exhibition hall in Petre, and public library galleries in Los Teques, Guatire and Ocumare del Tuy. After that it will be on show around the rest of the country, in San Cristobal, Merida, Maracaibo, Punto Fijo, Barquisimeto and Valencia.
Espacios Libres Gallery, El Hatillo, Miranda, Venezuela
According to Maria Gabriella Nicolicchia, president of “Communication and Culture” (CyC), the exhibition invites viewers, through artistic photography and St Josemaria’s phrases, to discover transcendence in what seems to be least transcendent in ordinary life. The exhibition’s strength lies in the way the photographs mesh with St Josemaria’s thought. The photographers have been able to see something special in the most commonplace daily things. They turn a moment into something special, hold it, polish it, eternalize it, and make it extraordinary. This recalls St Josemaria’s words: “Heaven and earth seem to merge on the horizon. But where they really meet is in your hearts, when you sanctify your everyday lives.” The exhibition unites the artist’s eye with the eye of love, looking at daily realities in the certainty that something surprising is to be found.
“Through this project,” added Nicolicchia, “the CyC seeks to bring a message of inclusion and hope, to cultivate art as a humanizing element, and at the same time to promote talented young artists.”
The display is curated by Kelly Martinez and Jose Luis Omaña, who say in their introduction that “we wanted to make this exhibition into a space to show the image as an event, as a spark of light, as a fortunate second in which ordinary and extraordinary aspects converge by a sort of happy coincidence.”
CyC: The not-for-profit civic association “Communication and Culture” is a network of media and communications specialists who aim to gather professional talents and expertise to express what is good and what contributes humanizing elements to society, with high standards and creativity.
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