Bit 23
Bit 23, 2022, wool on panel
27 in x 25 7/8 in
Trish Andersen original
*Ships post exhibition closing Nov 15th*
Charms, and amulets, totems, talismans, superstitions, and omens have been observed and employed by human beings since the beginning of our time. Used to bring luck and strength, fortune, inspiration, health, hope, to act as supernatural sources of power or protection to ward off evil or harm- or at times to invite it in. We are creatures of symbol and metaphor who -knowingly or not- unceasingly imbue places, events, and objects with meaning.
Luck is defined as the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life. Like beauty, it appears to be in the eye of the beholder. Though influenced by innumerable factors and variables, ultimately, we get to decide whether something is coincidence or synchronicity, disaster or adventure, fortune or a fluke, or whether it means nothing at all. Is life a string of moments looped together and linked or a collection of singular threads cut clean? What did we miss or meet as a result of that red light? Is that black cat a harbinger of misfortune or could she be the cuddliest friend you've ever had? What did we gain when we lost so much? Is this a series of unconnected accidents or is it instead something with veins and roots that started with a seed and grows for your benefit? Back-handed at times as it may seem...
Whether it's a mantra, a dark cloud, a pair of lucky socks, a four leaf clover, a prism of color arced across the sky, a ring, or a ritual - what do you give power to? Is it enlivening or depleting? Good or bad, you get to choose. You lucky duck.