Rebecca Baruc

Curse Tablet Sinking
transparent Byzantine Glass, weldbond and pen on thinset, chickenwire and mesh
11 x 15 in.

In mosaics, every piece is hand cut. The slow and tactile nature of this medium allows me to meditate on love, sexual quandaries, grief, and loss. Mosaic is an ancient art form that has always relied on sequencing pieces to create a visual grammar. I interrupt that fixed grammar to make a statement. The surface undulating or submerging text beneath transparent glass are alterations to the rules of mosaics that express something deeply personal. Extending the logic of mosaic as a communicable language, I consider the arrangement of hand-cut pieces and color a form of poetry. When I integrate my original poetry into my mosaic work, I am embracing mosaics’ most elemental power: flow. To set into stone my vulnerable thoughts and feelings is to place their heavy weight outside of me. Because of these works, I am lighter.

© Rebecca Baruc