What is this, New Religion?

Mia Mueller - August 2014


August 1 - 31, 2014




There used to be these magnificent triptychs inside medieval cathedrals. Two ornamented doors, which, during a sermon, would be opened to reveal detailed paintings of Jesus Christ, the Fall of Man, and Resurrection. The sight of these images would throw the congregation into religious ecstasy, overcome by the power of the image. But that’s when images were an uncommon occurrence. Now, we are saturated with imagery and other material culture. As a result of our overconsumption, there is a crisis of material spirituality in America. The object has been stripped of all its power. What now?


The purpose of my work is to demonstrate a proposal for a new material spirituality based on humility. Trying to instill the sense of importance and meaning into unlikely, strange, and often discarded items is my intention. I want to rescue material refugees and transform them into faux spirits, new gods.


I try to toe the line between the truthfully dark imagery of our destruction, juxtaposed with our naïve, hopeful, sometimes cartoon-like nature. When one has done all one can to save the earth, what more is there to do but laugh at the big cosmic joke of the Human Being?


I received my BFA from UW Madison in 2012. Since then, I’ve been in constant motion. After this show, I look forward to working in Berlin, Germany.


You can see more of my work here: www.mia-mueller.com

And follow my blog: www.lurkinglurker.blogspot.com