- kitsch religion
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Artist statement for Kitsch Religion:
"Having been baptised a Catholic before I had even grown my first baby tooth, I was subject to Christianity from a very young age. Over the years, attending Sunday Mass became more and more infrequent and Catholicism is now a distant memory - leaving me with an unsure attachment
to religion and a yearning for spiritual refinement.
'Kitsch Religion' is an ongoing quest to understanding the necessary symbolism, structure, tradition and hierarchy that drives religion. To some extent I see religion as being an abstraction of spiritual enlightenment constructed and generated by culture and society, and it is fascinating, to me, how purity and true holiness can so easily be manipulated.
"This quest is induced by a continual inquisition into the perceptions of taste within different cultures and the cultural connotations that are given to objects and imagery that can make them desirable or not. Items that are considered 'kitsch' are interesting because they are things that are considered bad taste but are created, kept and cherished by people nonetheless."
--- Claire Silvanna Cullen ---
Claire Silvanna Cullen is an accomplished print designer and freelance writer.
With a background in fine art, textiles print design and costume design
this has led to a distinct artistic style and a comprehensive
understanding of fashion history and specific art movements. Through working practice, she has refined her proficiency in articulating ideas and concepts, both verbally and materially.
Having specialised in textiles print design, Claire has a keen eye for colour, texture, mark making and pattern, inspired by art, film, nature and anthropology.
Claire is a prolific writer and has written for various online and print publications.
In her blog, also titled Kitsch Religion, she discusses art, film, music and culture in an informative but humorous way, delivering a light-hearted yet thought provoking perspective to these topics, as well as outlining elements of kitsch.
ABOUT KITSCH RELIGION
CLAIRE SILVANNA CULLEN
About the Art
By combining pictures that hold weight or cultural significance with secondary imagery that has unrelated connotations, Claire creates prints that deliver a narrative, and provide insight into a variety of cultural nuances, from Christianity to social anthropology, to tastes, fads and fashions.
This ongoing design process is motivated by a vivid interest for mixing the old with the new to reinstate or rethink ideas.