It doesn’t keep you warm

A solo presentation by Kate Burke, curated by Lynne Tanzer

Having grown up in Southern Baptist culture, the questions of struggle, control, sin, and acceptance of self have been recurring themes throughout my development. What is truly “holy”? What does it mean when someone who is meant to love and accept you based on their religion desires to yield power over you? Why is it so easy to hate someone for doing what’s best for them, and who benefits from all of this hatred? What benefit is there in punishing one another for the very act of being human? 

In the Bible there is a mythical, angelic creature called the Ophanim. It is an angel composed of two perpendicular wheels, covered in eyes on every surface. These wheels carry the weight of the throne of God, are skilled in moving in any direction, and never sleep. In this installation, I have collected the eyes of women and the women identifying, as well as individuals who feel as if their bodily autonomy is in question to symbolize a New Ophanim. These eyes carry the weight of our rights to bodily autonomy, choice, and the pervasive acceptance of humanness. 

These eyes have been rendering on ceramic tiles, meaning that they have been tried and tested through the raging fire of a kiln. They stand here today in spite of what they’ve physically been through, and will eternally declare their sacred nature as human beings, worthy of acceptance and love. I invite you to take time to sit with this New Ophanim, as you make eye contact with all of these women.