{"title":"JANET MACPHERSON","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHybrids present us with two things happening simultaneously. They are in flux, one always alluding to and challenging the other. The borders between humans and animals, the manufactured and the natural, the spiritual and the visceral are distinct yet permeable, illustrating differences while creating spaces for wonder and uncertainty. Influenced by my Catholic upbringing, I investigate hybridity within the context of Christian ideology, which despite its ubiquitous use of the temporal body in all its messiness, tends to prioritize spiritual purity over the concerns of earthly existence.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMy complicated history with Catholicism has been a driving influence in the work I have made throughout my career, and I continue to investigate its impact in my most recent body of work. Christianity is boldly anthropocentric in its doctrine. Situating humans as the most important element of the universe has created a hierarchical structure that has prevailed across millennia. However, growing up Catholic carries an inherent shame for having a body, and for giving in to its base desires.  Embedded in this ethos is the assertion that humans are separate from, and have dominion over other life forms, while the prioritization of spiritual purity rejects the basic reality that we are in fact animals and part of an interdependent ecosystem. Catholic iconography shows the martyred body as grotesquely broken, yet the facial expressions always convey a serene indifference to the pain being inflicted, as if to negate the very notion of the physical body. The superiority of the spirit is constantly reinforced this way despite the corporeal nature of its visual culture. I am compelled to reference this paradoxical relationship, and the way it shapes my experience of the world. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"#about\"\u003eBiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"#cv\"\u003eArtist CV\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"owl-wall-plaque","title":"Owl Wall Plaque","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI have always used clay as a canvas for images mined from my Catholic upbringing, childhood memories, religious iconography, and plants and animals. As the imagery is carved onto the surface, a nascent story begins to emerge. I combine the visual elements intuitively and leave most of the narrative contemplation to outside interpretations. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"JANET MACPHERSON","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68058593919285,"sku":null,"price":300.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/5798\/8661\/files\/OwlWallPlaque.jpg?v=1793898696"},{"product_id":"butterfly-wall-plaque","title":"Butterfly Wall Plaque","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI have always used clay as a canvas for images mined from my Catholic upbringing, childhood memories, religious iconography, and plants and animals. As the imagery is carved onto the surface, a nascent story begins to emerge. I combine the visual elements intuitively and leave most of the narrative contemplation to outside interpretations. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"JANET MACPHERSON","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68059829010741,"sku":null,"price":300.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/5798\/8661\/files\/ButterflyWallPlaque.jpg?v=1793899644"},{"product_id":"flower-wall-plaque","title":"Flower Wall Plaque","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI have always used clay as a canvas for images mined from my Catholic upbringing, childhood memories, religious iconography, and plants and animals. As the imagery is carved onto the surface, a nascent story begins to emerge. I combine the visual elements intuitively and leave most of the narrative contemplation to outside interpretations. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"JANET MACPHERSON","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68063239078197,"sku":null,"price":300.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/5798\/8661\/files\/FlowerWallPlaque.jpg?v=1793903724"},{"product_id":"heart-wall-plaque","title":"Heart Wall Plaque","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI have always used clay as a canvas for images mined from my Catholic upbringing, childhood memories, religious iconography, and plants and animals. As the imagery is carved onto the surface, a nascent story begins to emerge. I combine the visual elements intuitively and leave most of the narrative contemplation to outside interpretations. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"JANET MACPHERSON","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68063317197109,"sku":null,"price":300.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/5798\/8661\/files\/HeartWallPlaque.jpg?v=1793903830"},{"product_id":"eye-man-large-wall-plaque","title":"Eye Man Large Wall Plaque","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI have always used clay as a canvas for images mined from my Catholic upbringing, childhood memories, religious iconography, and plants and animals. As the imagery is carved onto the surface, a nascent story begins to emerge. I combine the visual elements intuitively and leave most of the narrative contemplation to outside interpretations. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"JANET MACPHERSON","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68064003981621,"sku":null,"price":500.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/5798\/8661\/files\/EyeManLargeWallPlaque.jpg?v=1793904444"}],"url":"https:\/\/vesselsandsticks.com\/collections\/janet-macpherson-janet-macpherson.oembed","provider":"Vessels + Sticks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}