ARTIST STATEMENT:
My art practice is rooted in a phenomenological, performative display of up-building the Self. It was developed out of a desire to visualize a growing conversation around queer agency and personal pain; how one can buoy or reduce the other. One may feel called to be of use to the world in a specific way, such as in addressing larger, existential crises- like climate change, our changing landscape, or a womxn’s agency. Yet, what if that individual is caught up and hindered by personal strife outside of and/or within the Self? What does a feminist spiritual life look like, when reflecting on the over-arching themes of spirituality, and the way the world operates?
Simply, I ask: if I am to be of use in a larger way, if I am to do good, how can I do that while being the limited person that I am? How can I do that in our particular situation, with incredibly limited resources, regarding idiosyncratic and global existential problems? The Fortitude Series refutes anxious spinning in the face of crisis, and attempts to hone in on and discuss the space of agency from a deeper knowing, set against rural and sapphic backdrops. The Divining Series asks spiritual and religiously charged questions, using art historical references in thousands of tile and snippets of hymns sung on repeat. Through each series, I strive to confront my larger cultural questions by designating clearly mapped out space, demanding the viewer’s focus.
Ultimately, the combination of performative action and ceramic wares is a means to search for a visual, action-based language which negotiates larger issues; all the while knowing that whole aspects of the Self must be shifted so as to be a part of that larger, cultural shift. A sense of Self preservation, Self agency, and a right to a voice and space is crucial in tackling greater dangers, “which is why, as someone who thinks climate is the most important thing in the world right now, I am still [making work] about feminism and women’s rights.” 1
1 Rebecca Solnit, “Feminism: The Men Arrive,” The Mother of All Questions, (Chicago, Haymarket, 2017), 96.
Post-Consumer Content artist Caitlin Mary Margarett performs “Midsummer Hymns- Explorations of the Queer Pastoral” as part of her outdoor installation.
Attendees are expected to wear face coverings and abide by social distancing guidelines. The performance will also be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person!
Caitlin Mary Margarett is a Midwestern artist, born and raised between Minnesota and Iowa. She is currently working across disciplines and holds a BFA in performance art and a BA in art history from the University of Northern Iowa (2018). Using her art practice as a vehicle, Caitlin Mary Margarett researches ethics, religious performativity, and gender studies; attempting to make sense of feminist spirituality, systems of flourishing, and suffering. In the past year, her work has been shown throughout the Midwest, at Louisiana State University, in “Ceramics Monthly,” Emergency Index, V. 8, and Aesthetica Magazine. She is currently preparing for her research trip and solo show in Berlin, Germany, at LITEHAUS GALERIE & PROJEKTRAUM, slated for this fall.
