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Exhibit Notes
Oil painter Mark Edwin Carlson faces himself on all
levels through his figurative self-portraits at the Lutheran-affiliated
Augsburg College, following a decade-long chapter of sexual assault recovery.
It is out of self-love, not self-pity that he embarked on this challenging
series, “Christian Body,” working to overcome fears of sexuality
and its spiritual implications.
Carlson was plagued by this experience at 13, convinced
for several years that he could have done something to stop it even though
his perpetrator was three times his age. A Lutheran himself, Carlson’s
guilt and shame multiplied until depression set in his junior year of
high school. “At the time, I felt it was a black mark on my spiritual
record that somehow would never be erased,” he said.
The paintings offer a new perspective figuratively—and
figuratively again—by rejecting the self-portraiture convention
of using mirrors. Every piece is oriented from the artist’s head,
shifting the viewer’s paradigm from observer to subject, and subsequently
encouraging the viewer to attempt empathy, in this instance and throughout
all of life.
In this first collection of an ongoing series, the
artist stresses “My developing body, as a whole, served as a constant
reminder of that terrible experience and how I was a participant. I began
to loathe my body and was ashamed and afraid of my sexuality. This series
is my last leg of healing both mentally and spiritually.” Carlson
said his recovery has been unquestionably God-driven, but he understands
that some Christians will be challenged. Carlson considers himself a social
and spiritual artist-activist; he also designed the theme art for the
Lutherans Concerned North America 30th Anniversary Conference, commencing
at Augsburg one week after the exhibition opens.
To view the works and find out the conclusion to the
artist’s story, please visit the Gage Family Art Gallery, located
on the second floor of the Lindell Library on the Augsburg College campus.
Gallery hours are Monday—Friday, 10-4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday,
1-5 p.m. The Gallery will be closed August 14-22 and September 4-6. Admission
is free. An opening reception will be held Friday, July 16 from 5-7 p.m
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