Behind "Thorns of Time" | Curator's Commentary:
Emotional growth is what inspired me.
The sphere represents wholeness and the essential human desire for completeness. Its surface, polished yet pierced, evokes the tender fragility of the self. It calls to mind how life often confronts us with challenges that leave marks—wounds that never fully disappear, yet somehow contribute to our being.
The thorns, in sharp contrast, symbolize the forces that shape us: the pain we endure and the barriers we construct to protect ourselves. They stand as outward projections of both defense and isolation, illustrating a universal truth—that our struggles do not merely shape us; they also guard us, sometimes to our detriment. In protecting our inner selves, we risk distancing ourselves from those who might bring connection and healing.
The subtitle, "Pain That Shapes, Yet Never Lets Go," captures the tension this piece seeks to illuminate. Pain is a sculptor, leaving its enduring imprint on the soul. Though transformative, it is also persistent—a silent companion that influences how we relate to the world, often more than we realize.
We invite you to consider your own defenses, your own “thorns.” Are they serving to protect you, or have they become barriers that constrain? This reflective duality is at the core of Thorns of Time. It is an ode to the ways in which adversity is both a burden and a catalyst for growth, reminding us of our capacity to endure and transform.
Anna Rex-Brandenburg
Curator.
[Tickets available at
https://galerieannarex.com/] Behind "Thorns of Time" | Curator's Commentary:
Emotional growth is what inspired me.
The sphere represents wholeness and the essential human desire for completeness. Its surface, polished yet pierced, evokes the tender fragility of the self. It calls to mind how life often confronts us with challenges that leave marks—wounds that never fully disappear, yet somehow contribute to our being.
The thorns, in sharp contrast, symbolize the forces that shape us: the pain we endure and the barriers we construct to protect ourselves. They stand as outward projections of both defense and isolation, illustrating a universal truth—that our struggles do not merely shape us; they also guard us, sometimes to our detriment. In protecting our inner selves, we risk distancing ourselves from those who might bring connection and healing.
The subtitle, "Pain That Shapes, Yet Never Lets Go," captures the tension this piece seeks to illuminate. Pain is a sculptor, leaving its enduring imprint on the soul. Though transformative, it is also persistent—a silent companion that influences how we relate to the world, often more than we realize.
We invite you to consider your own defenses, your own “thorns.” Are they serving to protect you, or have they become barriers that constrain? This reflective duality is at the core of Thorns of Time. It is an ode to the ways in which adversity is both a burden and a catalyst for growth, reminding us of our capacity to endure and transform.
Anna Rex-Brandenburg
Curator.
[Tickets available at https://galerieannarex.com/]