Art by Sharon Shapiro

We tell ourselves stories in order to live. — Joan Didion

“Storytelling predates science; intuition precedes analysis. Stories and images go hand-in-hand as one conjures the other. Among the most honest and primal relationships we have in our perceptual world is visual intimacy. German philosopher Edmund Husserl referred to this concept as bracketing: taking a fragment of our perceived world to examine its underlying essence, and in doing so, forming a relationship between self and image that is without pretense, without assumption. When a work of art is approached with this intent, the viewer opens themselves up to its vast range of subtlety. In this technological age, we are able to easily retreat from direct experience, choosing instead the anesthetic interaction of virtual realities. This puts us at risk of losing that which is sacred: emotion, spirituality, mystery and sexuality.”

— Sharon Shapiro, Epilogue to her MFA Thesis, Unfurled

Can we suspend our judgment and assumptions about things and objects, focusing instead on our individual experience with them? The only reality we can truly know is what exists and feels - all else is imaginary…

to learn more about Sharon’s practice, please visit her website.