AnyArt Gallery, Warren RI 1977

The separation of pain and beauty--crocodile tears and soap opera of the mind

In this exhibition, you entered alone and shut the door behind you. An outline on the floor indicated where you could walk, with a small circle at the end of the path where you could sit down. A friend told me that she meditated there.

The soundtrack was of a woman crying--loud, angry, and hurt. Broken glass shards stuck straight up all over the floor, so close that you could not leave the path without hurting yourself. Bright lights skimmed along the floor, hitting the glass and creating incredibly beautiful reflections on the walls.

It was impossible to hear the crying without feeling hurt yourself. In order to deal with the pain, you started “living” in your eyes. Then the visual beauty superseded your sorrow. I think this is how artists in particular cope with hardships-- they start living through their eyes, and beauty washes away pain. The title refers to the adage, “Don’t cry over spilled milk,” which is telling you to move on. Pain passes in the beauty of life and in our natural world.