Arlene Shechet lives and works in New York City. Her artwork has been grounded in forms, images, and processes that emerge from Buddhist practices. Her investigations of religious iconography found in devotional, architectural, and vernacular forms have distinguished her work within the contemporary arena that shuns explicit religious references. Without irony and without devotional creed, Shechet explores how the materials and the making of sculpture and drawing can embody aspects of spiritual practice. To a certain extend she reveals her art practices as a meditation that captures the moment. In pursuit of this intense engagement with the process, she has been led to varied explorations of universal images and iconographies including those from her own lineage as a Sephardic Jew. Shechet brings to Americanization/Balkanization an acuity for translating certain universals in spiritual practices that transcend nationality, ethnicity and the narrow prescription of religious dogma.
http://balkansproject.ips-dc.org/?page_id=129
Website
http://www.arleneshechet.net
