So let us love: For Al-Mutanabbi Street
Karen Guancione, USA

      

So let us love: For Al-Mutanabbi Street; Karen Guancione, Belleville, USA, 2013 As I worked on this project, I often thought of my Iraqi friends, activists who risk their lives to advocate for human rights. The daily lives of these friends, their families, and the lives of millions of other Iraqis have been shaped by enormous upheaval and suffering, and yet they continue to actively strive for a humane and decent life in a war-torn country. They consider a connection to art and literature vital to the success of their cause. The variable edition consists of a series of polyester plate lithographic prints bound into an accordion fold format that can be opened to a length of over eleven feet. Each page is machine-sewn and hand-painted, referencing textiles and stitching, common artistry that unites all cultures. An excerpt from William Carlos Williams' poem, Asphodel, That Greeny Flower, is hand lettered on the final pages. Perhaps the spirit of this book is best expressed by his words: So let us love           confident as is the light                  in its struggle with darkness Variable edition of 6 accordion fold books, polyester plate lithography, Rives BFK paper, machine sewing, hand-painted acrylic, antique 23 carat gold leaf, india ink, copies of vintage Iraqi postcards (machine sewn), closed size: height: 13 1/4 x width: 10 x depth: 1/2 inches, fully opened: height: 13 1/4 inches x width: 11 feet 3 1/2 inches (open size variable), date: December 2012 - January 2013, photo by Bruce Riccitelli Karen Guancione has been awarded a Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Artists and Communities Grant, three New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowships, a Ford Foundation Grant, a Puffin Foundation Grant and an Exhibition Grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Her interdisciplinary art includes large-scale installations, performance, sculpture, printmaking, papermaking, bookarts and video; has been exhibited worldwide and is in numerous public and private collections. She has curated many exhibitions, is an adjunct professor of art at the State University of New York (SUNY Purchase) and Montclair State University and has been a visiting artist and lecturer at numerous schools and institutions in the United States and abroad. She is the first time recipient of the Erena Rae Award for Art and Social Justice. For over a decade she has served as artistic director / curator of the annual New Jersey Book Arts Symposium and Exhibition. karenguancione@gmail.com karenguancione@verizon.net

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