Global Artists

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SHiFT Magazine Spring 2014

“I don’t think the world can be saved without paying attention to

what the scientists say, but sci-entists can’t save the world. The people who can save the world

are artists. That’s because what we need is a new story we tell our-

selves . . . a new story about what we are here for. “

Biologist Roger Payne in The Wisdom to Survive

When no one is listening?

By Cyndy Patrick Another Inconvenient truth

Can Art Save the World?

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“I think of this piece as an adapta-tion of humans un-

derstanding the need to be close to nature

in order to survive and thrive,” Morey

says.

S eated on her stool in

her well-lit ceramics

studio, Crystal Morey

delicately carves away a slice

of clay from a figure of two

connected bears. Human faces

peer out from their chests and

child-like legs cross casually

beneath them. The totem

suggests a close and loving

human-animal relationship,

that of family members who

share the same planet—one of

interconnected co operation.

“I think of this piece as an

adaptation of humans under-

standing the need to be close

to nature in order to survive

and thrive,” Morey says.

Cavewomen riding Saber-

tooth tigers, horned gazelles

and modern humans peering

out from inside polar bears

and falcons—Morey’s sculptures stir a primal

animal nature deep within, jabbing at our

conscience. Her research on endangered and

extinct species inspired her newest collec-

tion of works, “Humans Incased in Animals.”

Morey encountered this idea of “putting on

the ceremonial garment to become something

else” while exploring the vast collection of

Inuit and Native American art housed in Victo-

ria, Washington,

Morey realized early on that she wanted

her art to mean something, to share a message

about those animals who have become en-

dangered and those that we have already lost.

Reading Pacific Northwest creation stories

illuminated the very different relationship

the first inhabitants of America had to nature

and how they saw themselves as part of that

Global Art-

nature.

It made me think about how we were

before the Industrial Revolution,” Morey says.

“I started to think about our surroundings and

how we affect them. I became aware of how we

have lost touch, that connection between us

and the animals.”

Like many of us, Morey said she feels

guilt and helplessness about all the destruc-

tive actions going on around us. Educating

people with her work about the intellectual,

emotional and primal relationship between

humans and their environment has become

her passion.

“Today every action has a reaction we can

see, in climate change, deforestation, ocean

acidity and the hunting of animals. All these

Crystal Morey working on a new sculpture

in her graduate studio at San Jose State for her

collection: “Era of the Anthropocene.” This

piece is meant to show human and animal

interconnectedness in a quickly changing

natural environment. Showing multiple per-

spectives, ideas and emotions, Morey hopes

to show the inevitability of a shared outcome

and future.

Polar Bear and Markhor

Ceramic and under glaze

The Polar Bear is endangered through

habitat loss and the Markhor through poach-

ing. These are both man-made situations, and

though these animals live in very different ar-

eas, it’s something they share. With these two,

I wanted to create an emotional narrative and

show a relationship between humans, animals

and the environment.

Bubal Hartebeest Journey

(Woman on horned gazelle)

Ceramic and under glaze

The Bubal Hartebeest went extinct in 1925

due to overhunting. The sort of muted color

scheme I used on many of the pieces in this

body of work was inspired by the fact that the

only way to see many of these animals now is

in old sepia-toned photos or dusty museum

dioramas.

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“Semillero” (Seedbed) (2006) (silver, gold,

copper, palm seeds, Fabrication.) This is a cele-

bration of Venezuela’s rich and diverse identity,

which is a precious blend of three cultures:

Indigenous, European and African. This is also

a tribute to the Spanish language spoken in this

part of the world. The necklace is fashioned

from three different metals; silver, gold and

copper, each piece with a different texture and

each connected to a cascade of red palm seeds.

The silver clasp is a “celebration of language”

with words inscribed from all three languages

actions are causing havoc and

leading us to an unsustainable envi-

ronment,” Morey says. “I feel that

bringing awareness to these issues

is my contribution.”

While Morey concentrates

on educating people about

endangered animals, Venezuelan

diplomat and artist Elina Peduzzi

takes the unique approach of using

her jewelry to celebrate her diverse

culture and to make political

statements.

Growing up in Uruguay and

Venezuela, Peduzzi says she was

surrounded by the enthusiastic

environmental movement of the

“My social conscience drives my art. My background, my history, my experiences and my thoughts about this moment in

human history, all influence my pieces,” Peduzzi says.

Elina Peduzzi

times. She loved going camping

and being in nature as part of the

Girl Scouts.

This eventually led her to

become a youth delegate where she

worked in international relations.

Representing Venezuela, she at-

tended the Earth Summit in Rio de

Janeiro in 1992 and the Non-Gov-

ernment Organization’s Forum of

Women in China in 1995. Parallel

to her diplomatic work, Peduzzi

explored her creative side while

still in her 20s, by making jewelry.

She eventually started her own

business after taking classes and

working in a jewelry store.

Peduzzi experimented with

conceptual art, incorporating

organic materials into her work,

such as wood, seeds and coral

from native tropical species. One

of her first major projects

was “Semillero” (Seedbed).

A celebration of her identity,

she fashioned the necklace

from three different metals:

silver, gold and copper, then

connected a cascade of red

palm seeds. This piece won

first prize in the National Hall

of Jewelry in Venezuela.

“In Venezuela, we are a

perfect mix of three cultures,

the original Latin Americans,

the Europeans and the African

people. So now our cultural

identity is defined by these

three cultures and you can

see that in everything, in

food, in music, in traditions

and even languages,” Peduzzi

says. “All of them, they build a

necklace of unity because we

are all very diverse but united

culturally.”

In response to interna-

tional free trade agreements,

Peduzzi created “America XXI

Century,” a silver necklace

and earrings that won second

place in the Venezuelan Na-

tional Jewelry contest.

“It is my interpretation

of the movement in Latin

America for integration. In the

last 10 years we have created

ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for

the Peoples of Our America),

UNASUR (Union of South

American Nations), CELAC

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(Community of Latin American and Carib-

bean States), Petro Caribe and MERCOSUR

(Southern Common Market). These are im-

portant initiatives to build a more united and

prosperous region,” Peduzzi says.

Her newest project, “News Media Filter,”

is a gold earpiece formed by taking a cast of her

own ear. The piece holds different “grades” of

filters that fit inside. Peduzzi says this piece is

a reflection about the trustworthiness of the

media and their roll in the climate of opinion

because sometimes it seems the news net-

works are biased.

“With Twitter and Facebook, anybody

can post a fake photo,” Peduzzi says. “That is

confusing and there is no discrimination.”

Peduzzi is busy working on a pair of

filtered glasses to add to her project. Behind

each of her works, there is a message she

wants to share with the world.

“My social conscience drives my art. My

background, my history, my experiences and

my thoughts about this moment in human

history, all influence my pieces. When I make a

piece, the process itself represents a reflec-

tion about what I want to say. There is a kind

of feedback in the process of making a piece,

always there are new ideas, research and learn-

ing,” Peduzzi says.

For artist Jonathan Huang, missionary

work has impacted his art, which takes a

departure into the darker side of humanity.

Through his sculpture, he explores the world

of child sex trafficking. As a member of his

church, Huang became involved in building

a rescue shelter in the Philippine Islands for

young girls freed from the sex trafficking

trade. Accepting this challenge has changed

his life and heavily influenced his art.

Huang studied sex-trafficking worldwide

before going on the trip to the island of Cebu

in 2008.

“It felt so heavy and seemed to be so insur-

mountable,” Huang says. “But then you meet

a survivor, one of these little girls and it’s like

the entire issue coalesces into a single person.

This is a person right in front of me and I can

help this person.”

Jonathan Huang

Partnering with the New Heart Commu-

nity Church and the International Justice

Mission, Huang and his wife helped establish

“My Refuge House,” an aftercare facility.

Along with local police, the team provided

surveillance equipment, gathered evidence,

conducted SWAT raids and made arrests. Now

these rescued girls, (average age of 14) needed

a safe place to rebuild their lives.

One of Huang’s first tasks at “My Refuge

House” was to fix the plumbing.

“I realized how much we take plumbing for

granted,” Huang says. “Plumbing is an under-

ground, unseen network and the delineating

line between the first and third world.”

Before Huang left the Philippines, the girls

threw a going away party. The Filipino people

are very musical. Filled with gratitude and

love, they sang songs to the group and taught

them a few songs in Tagalog.

Huang said after returning home he could

not sleep, He kept thinking of them and

dreaming of them singing songs. He could

hear the girls’ voices in his head, so he made

portraits of the girls out of clay.

“That is what really started helping me

to sleep, have peace and try to make tangible

again that experience I had,” Huang says.

That’s when the questions and the dia-

logue began to happen about Huang’s work,

opening a door to shed light on a very dark

problem that affects millions and needs to be

addressed.

Huang’s first work, “Katarungan” which

means “justice” in Tagalog, was a grim piece

and not well received by the public. He

followed up with, “Kalayaan” which means

“freedom.” Along with the sculpture, this

work included a gold stalagmite, a representa-

tion of wealth and greed. Trafficking involves a

physical exchange, a transaction.

“Limestone ceilings and walls are eaten

away by dripping water and re-formed into

stalactites and stalagmites,” Huang says. “A

girl who is trafficked, has her dignity, self-es-

teem and self worth eroded for profit and

lust”

Huang’s third work, “Lumakad” means,

“to walk.” It is a life-size sculpture created

from coil-built stoneware and modeled after

one of the girls. The piece is set within a

rose-patterned labyrinth made out of salt. It

was displayed at the 2013 Freedom Summit in

Fremont, Calif.

Huang’s intention was to create a quiet

place of reflection amid the noise and turmoil

of the conference. The rose symbolizes the vir-

gin. The work suggests innocence and purity.

His later work “Lakarin” which means “to

Lakarin 2 (Taga-log “To Journey”)

This sculpture was placed in an even larger rose laby-

rinth. The rose lab-yrinth made out of salt was created to provide a place of quiet reflection at a packed and over-whelming confer-

ence on a huge glob-al issue. Displayed in Gallery III, SJSU

(2013.)

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journey” was a larger installation displayed

in Gallery III at San Jose State University in

2013.

Huang says he remains highly involved

with “My Refuge House.” Since their interven-

tion in Cebu, with the help of the International

Justice Mission, child sex-trafficking has

declined by 70 percent in 5 years. “We have a

responsibility,” Huang says. “If you can just

wrap your mind around one small part of it,

there is hope, there are solutions.”

Each of these 21st Century artists has

come to realize the same thing. We all need to

narrow our focus to one small problem and

take action to bring about change. Huang says

for him, art came long before his awareness of

social justice and human rights issues but as to

which drives which, “Well, they are two wheels

on the same motorcycle that am driving! I am

a ‘both’ kind of guy.”

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Global Artists