Images of angels in a new art exhibition at St Peter’s Harrogate are prompting thought and reflection.
The latest of its Come to Know exhibitions takes its title – A Little Lower - from these verses: What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honour. Psalm 8 v 4 and 5
Three artists are exhibiting this time and angels feature in all their works. Shaeron Caton Rose, who curated the exhibition, writes:
“The artist Leon Varga talks about transience and uncertainty in his piece Grey Dove, that features three winged sculptures. He says: ‘created from metal sheets of industrial waste material, Grey Dove representing the exact cumulative weight of all the individual’s possession. They are expressing both the potential and the burgeoning weight of our existence.’
“Salutation by Shaeron Caton Rose is one of two such video works originally shown at Wallspace London in 2009. In this film, golden feathers float and are blown on the air, in the accompanying video a feather is buffeted by wind but remains stoically anchored in place. Go with the flow or fight? Fate or faith?
“Shirley Hudsons’s Angel paintings, based on tombstones, remind us of our fragility and mortality but also appear strong and resilient, a testament to hope sometimes against all odds. The last few years have been a huge challenge to all of us and the year to come promises further concerns.
“But this may be just the right time to take that risk of finding faith in each other, in our human spirit and in the divine.”