sabrina nelson at detroit contemporary
Medicine Is In The Mirror
“This your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.” –Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix
Sabrina Nelson’s extraordinary life journey resulted in a personal maxim of ‘gratitude, grace and grief’ which informs not just her work, but her approach to living. While searching for therapeutic remedies to heal deep wounds, she found the most potent medicine lies within herself. Displayed on the detroit contemporary fireplace mantle is an installation of prescriptions, homeopathics and spiritual curatives where Nelson explores pharm versus farm and their relationship to healing.
**a micro artist talk is available for paid subscribers where Nelson discusses this installation in depth as well as an interpretation on what is medicine and how we heal.
In Art as Medicine, Nelson addresses themes related to corvids—a family of birds containing crows and ravens—and correlations with the color black. A flock of ravens is called a conspiracy or an unkindness. They are universally acknowledged harbingers of bad news—Game of Thrones’ “dark wings, dark words” and Poe’s supremely creepy poem The Raven. Nelson relates how these associations are transferred onto race. An antithetical rose pattern counters the somber imagery where tiny hand-written text woven throughout reveals details, attitudes, insights to her navigation through loss, race, family and femininity.
There are several pencil/ink drawings that showcase Nelson’s talent while continuing her narrative. This subject’s costume and movement are so well rendered the viewer gets a sense of the performer’s personality.
“The secret of health for both the body and the mind is not to mourn the past or worry about the future, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly” –Buddha. Here the viewer can choose to look in the mirror and take responsibility for her wellbeing, or pursue transient, counterfeit means through pills.
Tucked in a corner, under a painting of a blue pill, is a selection of books from what I’m sure is a larger personal library on various methods of natural and spiritual healing. Some of us are brave enough to seek a higher self. Each component of Nelson’s work contains layers of metaphors, symbolism and mysticism that beautifully narrate her dedicated quest.
On view through March 27th at detroit contemporary 487 West Alexandrine, Detroit
*images are mine
**Special shout out to Lisa Katzman for subscribing at the Founding Member level. Upon an abrupt dissolution of a yoga studio where she had just begun teaching, she honored classes already paid for by holding them in her home studio. That was April 2018 and I’ve been practicing with her since. I’m so grateful for her incredible compassion and passion as she’s helped me through some of the darkest days of my life. So very appropriate she’s in this week’s spotlight on healing arts. Thank you!
SHOWS OPEN THIS WEEKEND
This is beautiful Kim Fay, I am thankful!!!