April 11, 2008

• Ishtar's Gift

  The Nile Lounge- Boston's only hookah bar (not hooker, you dirty rascals)- is hosting a fundraiser and art auction tomorrow night to benefit Kick for Nick, a charity which donates sports equipment and soccer balls to kids in Iraq. You know, so they don't have to play with rocks and land mines, which seems to be about the only game going over there nowadays, and also hopefully bring a little joy to an otherwise entirely shitty situation.  A bunch of local artists and craftspeople (including myself) are showing and/or donating artwork to fill up the walls, and hopefully tomorrow's event will raise a bunch of money so these kids can have some new stuff to play with. It certainly won't fix the situation in Iraq, but at least it will maybe make a couple kids really happy. The fact that i can make something with my own two hands which can directly brighten someone else's day? that absofuckinglutely rocks in my book.

  And as it was recently pointed out to me: it's certainly a lot more helpful than just sitting around and bitching and moaning about the situation. Stupid, stupid war.

  So here's the new piece, which I confess was really difficult to let go of. By the time I got it mounted and framed, it looked so absolutely dee-lish that I couldn't bear to part with it. But i settled for a high-res scan and the hopes it would later serve me well in my digital portfolio.

  It's called "Ishtar's Gift."

  

  A few years ago I took a class about ancient Babylonian mythology and
  sculpture, and ever since then i've been in love with that ancient
  style and the stories behind the artifacts. Before the war i was offered an opportunity through my art history course to join an expedition to a dig site in the Iraqi desert, but i chickened out for fear of spiders. Considering the political climate at the time, it was probably a good idea to stay home even without spiders. So instead I've worked on a couple
  illustration projects retelling some of the rites and mythologies
  around their gods and goddesses, and spent a some time in the Met staring at winged bulls and temple lions. Overall it's had a huge influence
  on the way i make art, to the point where I have had that star-symbol
  you see there tattooed on my shoulder.

  This particular piece is a tribute to the Goddess Ishtar, the ancient Babylonian
  Queen of Heaven. She always struck me as an atypical kind of deity;
  she's feisty yet vulnerable, she behaves foolishly and gets into trouble,
  and is very mortal in many ways. I relate a lot to her. She's kind of like a Holly Golightly type, i suppose. I always thought it was interesting
  that the same people who worshiped this outspoken and sassy female figure
  thousands of years ago would eventually evolve into a civilization that is known
  for tyrannizing its women. There are literally temples dedicated to the goddess buried in the desert sand, directly beneath cities and villages where her modern daughters are brutalized on a daily basis. This contrast inspired me to portray Ishtar
  as she is pouring blessings into the bowl of the modern Iraqi woman.

  It also seemed really fitting for the venue it's now found, and the cause it's eventually going to help.

  
  

  • 11:49 am
  • 7 Comments