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Andre Stitt, Shine a Light, 2007 |
54.
SHINE ON ME BY ERNEST PHIPPS AND HIS HOLINESS SINGERS, 1930 REMIX: ANDRE STITT, SHINE ON ME, 2007 Ernest Phipps and his congregation were from an African-American church in Kentucky but little is known of their denomination. Their song is a simple hymn that asks for forgiveness and redemption in the form of God’s love, often referred to in Christian religious music as a light or lighthouse. Stitt’s work shows two figures, perhaps reflections of a single man, struggling to free himself. Stitt describes “Travelling through time along sound waves…” and the image relates to the endeavour of the singers to be released and forgiven, drawing on Stitt’s ongoing explorations of alienation, conflict, oppression and the resulting journey towards ambition. The text reads “How could I have been forgiven for skin stretched over ambition?”, suggesting the futility of the subject’s spiritual and physical conflict. Stitt is one of Europe’s foremost performance and interdisciplinary artists, creating hundreds of unique performances, installations, paintings, drawings, sound work and video pieces at galleries, festivals and site-specific venues across the world. Recent shows include BALTIC in Gateshead, Venice Biennale and the Drawing Centre in New York. www.andrestitt.com www.tracegallery.org |
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