graceann  cummings

What is the definition of Innocence? 

Ever since the concept of sin was introduced into consciousness, the belief that innocence can be ruined has persisted.  The belief in good and evil has been practiced over the eons and mostly humanity is blamed for sin, whereas the abstract of God has been assumed to be perfect and pure. This divisional imbalance is something I find troubling because it procreates the belief in an enemy and a belief that Innocence is a victim.  - In my installation here I address Innocence as a natural, spiritual resource and God as self-consciousness that grapples with its emotional-psychological Being called Innocence; thus creating a perspective that Innocence is a relationship with itself rather than a destiny of purity.  The plastic chains symbolize the inescapable connection to ‘self’ that travels between questions that can arise in the mind relevant to the value of the self. The chains fall, drape and mold into the shape of a tree and branches that hold bitten apples which reveal a question in their bite. The bite represents both breaking into consciousness and nourishment of consciousness. All the apples contain a question rather than a statement which leads to “more options” rather than a fixed belief. I used the tree and apples to draw parallels to the Christian biblical tale of the garden of Eden.  I always wondered what could have been the realization inside that apple which is never told. Only the notion of shame comes from that story. Shame without explanation is part of the imbalance that troubles me with respect to innocence. It seems that it was decided that Innocence was ruined rather than any actual damage occurring. Yet the acceptance of shame was believed by both human and divine consciousness in that story. A conclusion without evidence is where the mind becomes imbalanced toward prejudice; and in this case the prejudice is the decision that innocence is ruined and unworthy. In my installation the viewer will not find any shame at all. The tree is also my personal symbol of Hope. Trees grow from the Earth toward the sky. Their roots spread in the ground, their trunks reach straight for the sky, and their branches spread to catch the light, rain and air.  Their seeds of procreating fall back to the Earth and begin the cycle anew. Each generation springs forth from the previous and they are rooted to the earth but reach for the heavens; like consciousness that starts from itself but hopes for something more. My use of chains is to represent emotional and psychological ancestry because we all witness consciousness using consciousness that we inherit at birth. The structure of the chains is partially intended and partially “draped” to act as motion that travels in opposite directions of time: form vs. potential. The branches swirl and hold the apples which ask questions that demand a conscious mind to be aware of its power to question itself, know itself and create beliefs about itself, and to recognize that the power of thought and questioning is flexible and infinite. It cannot be assaulted into a final ruination, nor locked down into a final answer. 

Title: Care for Another Bite?
Medium: 33 paintings w/ each @ 8" x 8" & plastic chain
Dimensions: 12' H x 17' Width
(variable because tree size/shape can be adapted to wall space)
Year: 2021
Price: $15,000