Installation shot from Double Feature at the Ice Box in Philadelphia, 2021.
2021, cotton quilt
The title refers to the number of saris that Mother Theresa's Sisters of Charity would own. The self-denial, vows of chastity and poverty came to define the women in this Catholic organization.
They began to wear white, the uniform of widows in India. The blue stripes on the bottom of their saris have since become incorporated into Catholic tradition in the region.
Mother Theresa herself embodied the position of virgin, mother, and widow simultaneously. Although she eventually became a saint, her position as a woman within Christianity and a foreign missionary in India is one of nuanced complexity to say the least.
"Let's make America Great Again" was Ronald Reagan's campaign slogan in the 1980 election. This election was the first major triumph of the alliance between cultural evangelicals and the Republican party.
The Evangelical Industrial Complex that formed around many political-church leaders reflected systems of control, power, and oppression which hid under the guise of spirituality.
When reflecting on the church in the United States, it is hard to separate the political, commercial, cultural, and spiritual identities. Instead we end up with systems of abuse that occur again, and again, and again...
2021, fabric, gouache, and embroidery
This work was made in collaboration with Kay Seohyung Lee.
2021, fabric, gouache, and embroidery
This work was created in collaboration with Kay Seohyung Lee.
Installation shot from Now and At The Hour at Hot Bed Philadelphia.