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Deborah Rael-Buckley
Studio Quemazón
By Appointment Only
(505) 751-0389
raelbuck@msn.com


 
About Deborah
 
   

Mother Tongue

SOLD
Stoneware, Glazes, Acrylics, 52"t x 21 "w x 15.5" d

 
In another sculpture investigating family history, Mother Tongue explores an architectural term -anastylosis- as a way to reconfigure a family history. Anastylosis refers to the rebuilding of an architectural monument with fallen parts. Archaeolgists argue if this is the best way to reconstruct monuments, but here I am thinking of rebuilding a family past with imagery from three different cultures; Spanish, Islamic, and Jewish, which were all present and thriving when my ancestors left Europe, probably during or soon after the Spanish Inquisitions. The female form rises above all of this cultural imagery and reaches to the sky. Her arms are either reaching towards something higher, or they are raised in a surrendering pose. Islamic arches in the front are carved with an Arabic prayer, the back is carved with a Gothis arch, referring to the Catholic past. Two colored bands gather the Gothic and the Islamic together, and an armour made of press molded prayer cards refers to a prayer shawl from the Jewish tradition. The dicho translates to: "Tell me whom you go with and I will tell you who you are". The work can also be read as a political commentary on the current state if the Middle east: both the front and the back are missile shaped.  
 
Front View
Rear View