July 16, 2008

The Passion: 14 Stations of the Cross

Exhibition Dates: Monday July 7 to Sunday August 3, 2008

International award-winning artist Miriam Cabello will exhibit her greatly anticipated The Passion: 14 Stations of the Cross to coincide with World Youth Day celebrations.

Miriam Cabello is the resident artist and director of MLC Gallery in Sydney. The Passion consists of 14 original artworks depicting the story of Christ’s torture, death and resurrection using a contemporary setting: a black boxer in the ring. It aims to raise questions about race, ethnicity, and marginalised groups in today’s society.

The exhibition has already received considerable interest. One of the pieces, “The Betrayal”, is a finalist in the 2007 Blake Prize for Religious Art and is currently on tour. Another, “Bearing the Cross”, is a winner of the 2007 Manhattan Arts International 24th Anniversary Competition. Distinguished curator and author Rosemary Crumlin (OAM) has said; “The planned series is quite controversial … she has used the boxer and boxing as allegory and symbol. Her treatment is intelligent, thoughtful and confronting … and promises to be a major, important, original series from an emerging Australian artist.”

Through its engagement with contemporary culture, The Passion provides young people with a current context in which to relate to this level of sacrifice, determination and strength to persevere. The representation of different skin tones conveys the universality of Christ’s story.

The possibility of visitors receiving a short lesson in Christian symbolism prior to viewing the stations presents interesting curatorial challenges that are sure to engage the audience with a fresh and innovative experience of both the visual arts and Christ’s message of peace, equality and acceptance.

New York and Washington DC Galleries have already expressed an overwhelming interest in touring The Passion during Easter 2009.

For more information visit http://www.mlcgallery.com/mlc_gallery.html.

To view an interview with Miriam Cabello about her new painting series, click here.