Sacred Secular (2017)
Sacred Secular
A solo exhibition by Stacia Yeapanis
August 11 - October 4, 2017
Indianapolis Art Center
Inspired by private worship spaces, home decor, popular songs and television, Sacred Secular is an immersive environment containing three sites for contemplation of the painful human emotions of desire, rage and uncertainty. Our digital devices, entertainment, decorating and crafting are all convenient ways to distract ourselves. But Sacred Secular asks us to consider that these ubiquitous objects and practices may also be opportunities for spiritual contemplation.
The slow, painstaking repetition of collecting and editing the digital clips is underscored by the tangible repetition in the other materials. The ongoing looping of a single sentiment, phrase or action highlights the accumulated visual motifs: concentric circles, coils, chains, spirals.
I'm interested in the human devotional impulse as it emerges in our everyday lives. Sacred Secular conflates the bedside table or knickknack shelf with the altar/shrine, the tablet with the icon, and music and television with sacred texts.
This project is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, as well as a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.