The Pillowshow
The imaginative and graphic nature of the stories within the play has also inspired a local visual artist CHRISTINE KUHN to interpret the script through the means of her artistic medium. A series of her paintings "The Pillowshow" that represent a subconscious response to the themes of the play rather than an illustration" will be displayed at "Natasha's Bistro" during the run of the show.
Artist's Statement
The series of paintings I am making for "The Pillowshow", a visual art companion show of The Balagula Theatre's production of "The Pillowman" are a personal and professional response to the script. (In art, the personal and the professional are often co-mingled.) The first time I will see the play will be when it opens. I have met the cast and the crew, but I have not attended any rehearsals. The paintings are being produced using the Rorshach method: Once the image has appeared in my mind, its manifestation in paint and ink is usually a very rapid and intuitive process. I often don't understand the imagery until later on when the title and the meaning makes itself apparent to my conscious mind. The resulting imagery is often mythic with archetypal elements. It is also humorous and often ironic. It is an odd world, this home of my subconscious mind. As such, the paintings included in "The Pillowshow" represent a subconscious response to the themes of the play rather than its illustration. However, some of them did turn out illustrative, which is interesting.
Some of the themes I see are the question, "What conditions produce great art?", "How can violence and abuse perpetuated through generations be stopped?" "What is the role of art in this cessation?" In healing?
How does faith fit into all of this? The story re-creates the Christ theme continually. The Pillowman, the way I see him, is in fact a Christ figure, sacrificing himself in order to spare all the others from suffering. So, what's the role of self-sacrifice in art? In life? Within the context of love and family? So goes my thinking, which is not the same as my subconscious response.
The Pillowman is a dark comedy which addresses the strong undertones of violence which permeate our society and which are constantly rearing their ugly heads as we desperately try to push them back under the rug. What better way to bring it out into the open than with a chuckle?
Artist's Bio
Christine Kuhn is a professional artist, world traveler and overall bonvivante. She holds degrees in biology, chemistry and diplomacy and has used her chemistry knowledge to create her own medium which combines mixed media, drawing and painting techniques with cast epoxy resins. Christine's art focuses on customized pieces commemorating life's transitions (birth, marriage, graduation, beginning of a new business, etc.) and passages (separations, relocations and changes of all sorts as well as memorials of both people and animals). Christine's artwork has been exhibited widely throughout the Southeastern US and in Central America and has received grants from both the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Foundation for Women. In addition to creating art, Christine also works with children and adults, helping them discover themselves through the creative process. When she's not working or teaching, Christine can often be found wandering the streets of downtown Lexington with a smile on her face and a skip in her step.