Codes Of Faith - a-n The Artists Information Company

Venue: Laura I.Gallery
Starts: Saturday, December 10, 2016
Ends: Monday, January 23, 2017
Address: IceHouse Court,Abbey Road,IG11 7BT
Location: London
Organiser: Laura I.Gallery

Laura I. Gallery is thrilled to announce its first group exhibition, “Codes Of Faith,” opening on the 10th of December 2016,6pm, timed to coincide with the lead up to the Christmas Holidays, a time of mysticism and spirituality for many individuals around the world.

Curated by Laura Iosifescu “Codes of Faith” is a group exhibition displaying artwork on the theme of faith from over 30 artists in order to celebrate diversity and promote world peace. Professional and amateur artists from myriad backgrounds and cultures will be displaying works representing their personal beliefs, varying from those who follow traditional religions to ideas about atheism and pagan spirituality. The aim of this multi-discipline exhibition is to inspire people to live in harmony, embrace differences and promote friendship and peace through our common values and wishes for personal peace and autonomy.

Throughout history, different religions and spiritual ideologies have had the power to separate people from each other and to create conflict. The organisers of “Codes of Faith aim to demonstrate that through art we can communicate to one another, overcome differences and unite in understanding and respect. By prompting dialogue and encouraging interdisciplinary exploration, “Codes of Faith” will ring in the holiday season in a truly thought-provoking way.

The choice to launch this exhibition in early December was one with purpose. The December holiday season is a deeply spiritual time for many people of diverse faiths around the world; while Christians are celebrating Christmas, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists,Hindus, Pagans and Zoroastrians are all also observing important religious festivals and dates.

We feel that not only should religious people have the right to express their beliefs publicly, but so too should those who oppose or question these beliefs. While some of the artists on display choose to lambast organised religion and highlight its problematic aspects, other artists take this opportunity to express their deeply held religious beliefs in an emotional and moving way that is at once personal and global. For some, the experience might be uncomfortable or intellectually stimulating, while others may feel reminder of their own faith and the most beautiful aspects of life.
We feel that “Codes of Faith” is a continuation of an academic and artistic conversation that has been in progress for millennia. For centuries, religion and art have had a symbiotic relationship, and ancient works of art often depicted gods, goddesses and other spiritual components. Until the 19th century, much of the world’s artistic endeavour was sponsored by the church and by the nobility and as a result, very few high profile artists were able to express exactly what they wanted to convey.

Paintings with biblical themes flourished, particularly during the Renaissance and Baroque period, and it is important to remember that some the world’s most iconic artworks were commissioned for religious sites during this time. Iconic works such as Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam c.1511 (from the Sistine Chapel ceiling in Vatican City) and The Cathedral of Our Lady altarpiece painting Assumption of the Virgin Mary 1626 by Rubens (found in Antwerp, Belgium) are intrinsically connected to their religious contexts.

Art in the twentieth century has had a very different relationship with religion. Artists, freed from serving the church and their patrons, questioned religion and offered critique, often coming into conflict with church and even with state. It became less common for an artist to explore his or her own faith as western society increasingly moved towards secularism. That said, many pieces of modern art may appear secular, but when further analysed reveal artists grappling with faith, ideology and religion in a modern context.
We believe that art and religion are now connected with our human experience more than ever before, and you can see this connection in every work on display. “Codes Of Faith” explores the first-hand experiences of the artists involved, and showcases their individual interpretations of the meaning of existence.

In “Codes of Faith,” religion and art are united towards one common goal: bringing a sense of spirituality back to everyday life, and establishing a bond between the meaning of existence and the human experience. We are working towards a harmonic unity of three fields: science, art and religion in order to improve human existence around the world.

On December 12, many of the participating artists will be filmed as they are interviewed about their work and their visions of a perfect world. Some of the themes presented in the art show (and that will discussed in the interviews) include:

The ways in which people construct and deconstruct identity around group-based activities, and in what way this manifests in the public domain.
Exploring communication with those of other faiths and religious outlooks.
The fractal patterns found everywhere in nature everywhere from the veins in our body to the branches of trees, the waves in the oceans, clouds and sand dunes, and their evidence as universal beauty that some might view as “God’s fingerprints.”
Creating art in an environment riddled with religion, corporations and cabaret, a place where opposite can coexist.
How we as artists can understand and convey the emotion and sacred meaning inherent in each subject, utilising a combination of theological understanding, research and creative imagination, as well as consummate artistic skill.
Aesthetic and alchemic research about “the Enigma,” (the world of invisible and Divine) through the development of Humanconsciousness and its potential energy that might be hidden in modern human life. .
The “human condition,” from the tremendous impact of biotechnology to the awesome complexity of the psyche.
Different forms of spiritual meditation and healing.

We look forward to welcoming a diverse audience to “Codes of Faith.” For more information about the gallery show, the interview session and the opening, please contact Laura at [email protected]

Laura Iosifescu

Laura is a professional artist and the founder of Laura I.Art Gallery.She currently lives and works in London. She developed her basic skills in traditional art during her time at the Fine Art High school in Romania but found herself reaching her full potential as a student in the Department of Fine Art at the University of East London. From there she went on to open her own local gallery where she is currently curating a series of exhibitions. As an artist, Laura is best known for her re-interpretation of the medium of paint as an aesthetic vehicle. Utilising self-designed machines and other unconventional techniques as tools to manipulate paint, she challenges the viewer by re-examining how paint can be transformed in her collection of wall mounted “living paintings” - flowerscapes with depth and colour introduced by her signature style.. The flower motifs are intended to represent and investigate an accumulation of life experiences and ideals to do with freedom and courage, life and death, identity and belief, which are channelled into her art through her three dimensional forms and colours. Eventually dissatisfaction with the format of wall mounted paintings, a feeling that the medium was imprisoned by the canvas, led to a series of experiments culminating in Laura’s revolutionary Blossom Escape, which transformed her flowerscapes into the real world in the form of a floral dress made entirely of paint. It has been recognized and highly praised by the press, and by well established professionals in the art world and was shown in an exhibition at Saatchi Gallery alongside work shown by artists such as Tracey Emin ,Marc Quinn, Gavin Turk, Idris Khan and Xavier Mascaro. She has displayed her work throughout the UK and in France and Portugal and in New Orleans and Los Angeles in the USA. Her work has been published in Landscape Art Review, La Dolce Vita magazine, HESA Inprint magazine, and in The State of Art vol 2 published by Bare Hill and there has been press coverage in the Financial Times, the Guardian and in the local press and on the web. Sixty per cent of Laura’s work is now in private collections around the world which makes her work a great investment. In 2016 Laura opened the first contemporary art gallery in Barking, Essex, an area which is now at the forefront of regeneration in East London. The gallery was inaugurated by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London and Darren Rodwell, the leader of the local Council. She is currently curating a series of exhibitions in her own space at the Gallery, including the highly successful Blessings of Life and Codes of Faith, and is embarking upon a series of art workshops. Laura Iosifescu is an idealistic young artist who believes in a world where beliefs and cultures no longer separate people but can be shared and celebrated. Her aim is to break down barriers, including those between artist and audience, and foster a collaborative and creative community in this part of London. With highly successful curatorial exhibitions and painting workshops in The Laura I. Gallery in Barking, Laura is truly inspired towards making this world a better place through art.