Video

Blood of a Mentor: Cultivator of Compassion and Tolerance Cultivator of Pragmatism and Independence

(From The Blood Reliquary Series)
1999
Assemblage with human blood
25 x 36 x 2 inches
Collection of Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans. Formerly collection of Gus and Sharon Kopriva

The blood reliquaries are preserved, human blood specimens placed within sculptural chambers; suggestive of the relics and reliquaries found in diverse religious traditions. The blood is collected from myself, my family, and friends who have had a marked impact on my life. They are monuments to the spiritual and social characteristics of the people whose blood they include. For me, they generate impressions of importance, immortality, posterity, conservation, genetics, fear, love, influence, and enlightenment.

Each chamber window, housing several millimeters of blood, is made from two sheets of 1/4″ plate glass, sealed with silicone in an aluminum frame and further protected in front by another piece of 1/4″ plate. All blood was screened for disease and treated with formalin and EDTA. Each reliquary is embellished with an inscription engraved into a plate describing attributes learned from the person memorialized in the work, along with the year that the blood was collected. An edition of ten small reliquaries housing my own blood is also part of the series.

BRUDNIAK

Each of the larger reliquaries are mini-monuments made of wood, iron and tile structures that house a glass and mirrored interior that has been injected with the blood of an individual who has had a profound effect on Brudniak’s life. Each reliquary specifically recognizes those attributes that these mentors imparted to Brudniak: “Cultivator of Compassion and Tolerance Cultivator of Pragmatism and Independence,” “…of Absurdity and Enlightenment,” “… of Courage and Self-Esteem,” “…of Optimism and Humor” and “…of Humility and Benevolence.” For all this talk of Brudniak’s art being odd or creepy, I’ve seen few things as touching or sweet as this mentor series. They are honest testaments that avoid sentimentality through the rigor of their conception. Brudniak says that, for him, “They generate impressions about importance, Immortality, posterity, conservation, genetics, fear, love, influence and enlightenment.” They do all this. Even more Important for Brudniak as an artist, they signal a new way to meaning in his work.

CHRISTOPHER SCHADE – Austin American Statesman