Nouvelle Nuptials: New Visions in Wedding Traditions

A select group of cutting-edge artists have been invited to respond to the theme of “the wedding” by creating original works, highly evocative and richly layered, that interpret the traditional rituals and ritualized objects that surround this time-honored ceremony. The participating artists are of diverse social, cultural, and racial backgrounds, and represent different sexual orientations.

Using conventional materials in unexpected ways, developing innovative techniques, and exploring a broad range of installation strategies, the artists have created poignant snapshots that probe our collective desires, obsessions, and apprehensions about marriage. Some have chosen to comment on the commercialization of the ceremony and the politicized issues of same-sex marriage, stem cell harvesting, and gender stereotypes; some have investigated multicultural non-Western approaches to the complex meanings of romance, love, and marriage; while others have focused on the ending of “wedded bliss”, illustrating broken promises, failed commitments, and divorce.

Through these edgy artworks, the artists have challenged the cultural systems and strategies—theologies, concepts, myths, aspirations, and expectations—that are woven together into the fabric of the matrimonial ceremony and the modern marriage. Nouvele Nuptials showcases these new and inventive artifacts that meaningfully interpret and give currency to the wedding tradition in the twenty-first century.
– Jo Lauria

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