The art exhibit January 13 at the Catskill Art Space in Livingston Manor unites three female artists in statements on human psychology, presenting hope, despite our chaotic world; the clinging to material objects in pursuit of “holding on”; and the function of memory, an aspect deeply imbedded in our psyche.

Catskill Art Space (CAS) is located at 48 Main Street, Livingston Manor. The three solo artist’s work will be on display through February 24. Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Each artist was presented with questions about their creative processes and unique themes — here are excerpts from their responses:

Gina Magid

One artist, Gina Magid, evolved exploring plaster molds in her father’s dental lab. She sees the symbolism of teeth as implements of survival, nurturing our bodies, eating safely in a family or group setting, and the acts of biting and gnawing as factors in human aggression.

She is aware of the “gestalt” of the process of creating art, where things come back together after falling apart. Layering textural fabrics and using hand-sewn stitches, she builds up surfaces with layers and tears down, building up repeatedly in an ongoing process. She employs a variety of methods using clay, oil paint, charcoal, bleach, denim, and spray paint. The product is a fusion of a memory of what has been, similar to a talk with time, fusing the experience of living with the remembrance of ancestors.

Raphaele Shirley

Also putting up work in the latest exhibit is Raphaele Shirley, who sees the role of the artist as one that points humanity “towards the highest version of self and of civilization.” 

In a time of crisis, such as the present, “art’s function is to be a moral lifeline — pushing the needle away from harm and towards healing”.

She focuses on the theme of “totality”,  its idea, its representation, how it has been exhibited in religious practices throughout history, and what threads are common among them. She poses questions such as: How quantum physics can elucidate ancient wisdoms and asks, “How a ‘God’s-eye’ view” can manifest as the most relevant and long lasting one.

She also focuses on a theme of “HOPE”, as a way of being, forging a “path towards resolution and progress”. Human courage and hope have been demonstrated despite great injustices, generating transformation towards good. “These instances of psychological greatness define the deepest veins of what being human is.”

Christina Day

The installation of “Depth Cue” by Christina Day is a measure of place and person relative to time. The viewer experiences an interior space that is a glance into a “constellation of objects that are keepers of time and place.” It is named for the way humans determine distances between objects, and serves as a metaphor for remembering, or “not-forgetting.”

As an artist, she is drawn to what is caught up in lost information. Because some people tend to “SAVE” throughout their lives, in an effort to remind oneself of a person, time, or place, and some people tend to “DISCARD,” there are the nagging questions: Does anything ever really go away? Where is the big discard pile? Where are our memories, really?

She personally has a collection of “ultra-specific dual function objects, such as a 1920’s Ford dealership postcard that is also a music record, and a radio that serves as a single slide viewer.” Both “single user” relics correlate to the sightlines of her current installation.