Wonder: The Experience of Awe Through Art
Wonder names and describes the many profound sensations we feel and experience in life. How does art bring us closer to these feelings and experiences?
Art can amaze. It is through the arts – visual, musical, literary, performance – that we express elements of our imagination along with the emotional impulses of the human spirit. Art has the power to transport us to another place or time, connecting to memory and evoking a sense of longing or nostalgia. This exhibition delves into the elusive and invigorating effort of artists who create work that touches our souls and opens our eyes to the magic and mystery of life.
Awe has a way of finding us in life, often in unexpected moments. Phenomena in nature (a solar eclipse, aurora borealis, a rainbow), breathtaking miracles, or the discovery of small wonders, all infuse our consciousness with awareness and reverence of the expansiveness of existence. Artists imagine and recreate such experiences.
Dreamlike landscapes in this exhibition reveal spaces that exist and emerge from the artists’ minds. Fantastical interpretations, inexplicable scenarios, and intricate designs inspire astonishment and admiration. Remarkable stories from the Christian tradition invite us to contemplate the meaning of miraculous events described in scripture. Imagination is one primary source of wonder and awe, the natural world and science also offer astonishing and real sources of material.
As viewers, we play an instrumental role. We enrich and imbue the artworks further, simply through experiencing them. Once we respond with awe to the wonder of art, we can become changed. The artworks on display invite us to stand and look, reflect, and dive into our own imaginations to find awe from within.
© Courtesy of the artist and DC Moore Gallery, New York.
