More Than Repair: Elevating Memory with Kintsugi
Humanity can be callous and wasteful, but we often form attachments to things. Can connecting with sentimentality help encourage awareness? In this age of technology and mass production, we are …
The Flourishing Soul of Flamenco
The word flourish signifies not only rampant growth, but a gesture or set of gestures that personify vitality and life. That gesture may be expressed in words, carpentry, architecture, music, …
Portraits of a Nation: The Tenacious Beauty of Sudan
Did you know that Sudan contains more pyramids than Egypt? There is much beauty hidden in this war torn land. Sudan is largely a country of desert, the Sahara reaching …
Possessed by Violence: Valhalla Rising
Valhalla Rising is a complex and violent film, full of beautiful, savage images and scant dialogue. What actually happens onscreen? Nicolas Winding Refn‘s brutal tour-de-force Valhalla Rising stars Mads Mikkelsen …
Where is the Refuge? The Melody of our Alienation
The power of the spoken word and the captured image can be woven together in a way that evades description. I thought I had finished synkroniciti’s short cycle on Yemen, when …
The Hidden Feminine: Examining the Female Image in Yemeni Art
Muslim women are frequently shortchanged by stereotypes. How do artists help to change minds and destroy prejudice? I have selected the work of two female photographers, Boushra Almutawakel and Yumna …
In a Land of Queens: Daughters of Yemen
Presided over by Queens in ancient and medieval times, modern Yemen has been called the worst place to be female. Women in Yemen are encouraged to stay home rather …
Portraits of a Nation: The Devastating Beauty of Yemen
Challenged by the unknown and unfamiliar, we often turn away. Can our curiosity help us to become better, kinder people? This is the first post of a series exploring foreign …
A Question of Currency: Mark Wagner’s Money is Material
Reality is shaped by human constructs of which nature never dreamed. Art exposes and reevaluates these things, creating necessary discomfort. Let’s talk about money, once labeled the “root of all …
Owning Aggression: Sonya Tayeh’s Baggage
Many believe art should always emphasize the beautiful and balanced. Can art help us understand and heal our dark side? Sonya Tayeh is best known as a choreographer on …