John Adkins Images: Reliquaries

A reliquary is a container, an intimate, ornate box that held the bones of saints; a spiritual object that one could meditate upon, a representation of something powerful and significant in the eyes of the Orthodox Church. This is the historical context for my object-oriented sculpture. These containers house remnants of the past. Some more directly refer to that history through the use of teeth and animal bones. Others refer to the consumer side of western culture, our obsession with "things" and the emotional/spiritual connection utilizing symbols of wealth. The artwork attempts to deconstruct some of these attitudes towards consumerism by creating art using commercial symbols in plastic media. The work is decorative and "pretty," drawing the viewer in visually and holding their interest through subtle/dark imagery. Things are not as they seem below the surface. The world I create visually illustrates something out of place, fragmented and disconnected, feelings that we often share in our consumer driven society.