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Melissa
Ignatuk:
A Glimpse into the Christian Mind
August 26 - October 20, 2002, in the Dadian Gallery
Artist’s Statement
 It
is often the case that the true thoughts of Christians are unheard and therefore
their faith can be misunderstood. This installation is meant to make audible
what is oftentimes left unsaid, hat which leads a Christian to their belief. In
this piece I endeavor to present the thoughts of Christian individuals in the
setting of a church sanctuary where the viewer can both see and hear what being
a Christian means to each individual.
The
Setting
 The
space depicted is a composite of elements from a number of churches that I have
attended or visited over the past twenty years. When these elements meld
together, they place the viewer at the center of an imaginary sanctuary.
Therefore, the viewer is not on the sidelines or in the back row of the church;
the viewer is in the very middle of a church setting and is in the midst of
people praying, worshipping, meditation, or reading. The illusion was very
important in that I wanted to draw the viewer into the piece as an active
participant rather than a passive observer.
Their Words
 The
recorded voices played within this installation are the unrehearsed words of the
individuals portrayed. Each person spoke on a subject of their own choosing
after I presented them with the basic idea of the installation. The sound of
their voices is the focus of the piece in that it emphasized the personal
thoughts of the individual that each person would normally keep to him or
herself. It is a strong contrast to the popular mass media portrayal of
Christians as televangelists or ultra-conservative members of the Christian
Coalition. It is my belief that the words of lesser-known Christians communicate
ideas of faith much more effectively than anything shown on television.
Their Words Together
 When
the viewer enters the space, he or she hears a number of voices speaking at
once, and it is difficult to distinguish what is being said. This was my
intention in that I wanted the space to seem like it is being filled with the
audible thoughts of each individual drawn on the walls, almost as if the viewer
has suddenly gained a mind-reading ability. Standing in the middle of the space,
voices are heard but perhaps not understood, and it my hope that the viewer
would walk around the room to hear the voices more clearly. This forces the
viewer to participate in order to understand. If the viewer does not wish to
make any effort to walk around and stand and listen, than the meaning of the
piece is lost and understanding cannot take place. This is what I feel is the
case within our society at large. Our culture is filled with the cacophony of
everyone talking at once, and mutual understanding is rare. However if we take a
moment to listen to people individually, we may benefit from that effort. This
is the reason why the voices overlap. I did this to draw the viewer into the
space as well as to lead them around the installation.
Melissa Ignatuk
Curator’s Statement
 Melissa
Ignatuk is a young artist who has recorded the images and voices of ordinary
Christians praying and talking about their faith as a way to examine her own
ideas about art, faith, and the intersection between the two. Originally
presented as student work at Carnegie Mellon’s College of Fine Arts Ellis
Gallery, the installation has a sense of immediacy and presence that is
generated by the strong, expressive drawing; the dramatic poses of the various
figures; and the powerful illusion that one is somehow actually hearing the
inner thoughts of people who seem to be nearby, but somehow just out of reach.
 The
voices and images are those of the artist’s friends and family. In their
heartfelt statements, they express the joy and love that they feel in the
presence of God. One speaks of miraculous healings; another of finding a sense
of home and a future to look forward to; yet another of finally understanding
the power of God. In Ignatuk’s depiction, their faces and bodies reveal the
intensity of their inner communion, their deeply personal connection with the
Divine. In only one instance do the figures relate to one another. For the most
part, each person is alone with God, connected to the others only by the
energized atmosphere evoked by the dense lines and arcs with which Ignatuk
indicates walls and floor.
This
impassioned, committed work is part of a larger movement of artists who want to
bring their Christian faith into the center of the conversation that is 21st
century art. Using digital recordings on the one hand, and the simple pencil on
the other, Melissa Ignatuk embraces the means and approaches of the post-modern,
secular art culture without embracing its goals and values. Instead, she reaches
out to it, seeking to communicate her own vision, speaking the truth she has
found in her own authentic, articulate voice.
Deborah Sokolove
Curator, Dadian Gallery
send comments or questions about the gallery to
the curator at:
dsokolove@wesleysem.edu
the copyright of individual works of art belongs to the
relevant artist
please do not copy or distribute
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