Mercy vs. Justice

How do I start?

The past week this world has been turned upside down; so much devastation, so much grief. To those involved in the Nepal Earthquakes, my prayers are with you.

Yesterday I was sitting in the bustling cafe area of my uni 'studying' ...aka eavesdropping on the various conversations of the people around me. Topic of the day: Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan of the 'Bali Nine' who faced the death penalty and have just been executed (or murdered, depending on your stance).

I'm going to try to be as diplomatic as possible with this post, which is very difficult given the nature of the death penalty discussion.

First and foremost, I want to honour the lives of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan as they were human just like the rest of us, and many will be grieving their loss today. Whether you see these two Australians as criminals or victims, the fact remains that they were people with mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, friends and loved ones, and I can't imagine the pain that those loved ones are going through right now. My heart and my prayers go out to you, may God be your comfort and your strength.



The discussions I'm hearing revolve around this idea of JUSTICE vs MERCY. I'm going to be upfront with you that I stand on the side of GRACE. My hero once stood before a woman who was caught in the act committing a crime punishable by death in that time, and He said to a crowd "Whoever of you is without sin, cast the first stone." One by one each man dropped their stones and walked away. He then gave the woman the free gift of GRACE that comes undeserved.

JUSTICE says: the men knew what they were doing was wrong and they were aware of the punishment that went with it, thus they deserve the punishment of death.
MERCY says: they did the wrong thing, but over the past 10 years in jail they have been rehabilitated, they deserve mercy but from the original punishment.
GRACE says: "I do not condemn you either, go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11).

I can't say who is right from the stance of justice or mercy, because I see that we all have valid points. You should follow the law of the land that you are in and there are also times in life where mercy is required. All I know is that we all need GRACE. Both Myuran and Andrew turned to the God who loved them first, and I have no doubt that they reside in heaven now experiencing the fullness of God's grace poured out upon them.

During his time in jail, as part of his rehabilitation Myuran learned to paint. I want to end with some of the art produced by artist Myuran Sukumaran in his last days.


It has been two days since the execution and people seem to be already forgetting. I post this today to help keep the conversation alive.
#endcapitalpunishment #Jesus #justice #mercy #GRACE #art #beauty #activism

http://www.theage.com.au/world/bali-executions-eight-prisoners-refused-to-wear-blindfolds-as-they-were-shot-20150429-1mvm99.html

Peace Out.

My First (and possibly last) Gallery Opening

Aloha.

News: I went to the Nicholas Thompson Gallery Opening.

Lesson: If you don't like crowds, don't immerse yourself in the middle of a big crowd.

I was so excited to go to my first gallery opening; I got all dressed up, I even put makeup on and coerced my hubby into the idea that we could use it as a date. We made the half hour trek from our house, drove around the area and found free parking in Fitzroy (a day in the life of a poor uni student... Anyone else feeling me here?) We then walked about a kilometre to the gallery, all the while me saying how it would be worth it just to talk to all of the art enthusiasts.
We walked in the door; the space was packed full... I think it was presumptuousness I smelled. I braced myself, still smiling, and tried to 'wander' around. It was not possible to wander. My excitement quickly dampened.

We squeezed through people with heavy 'arts accents' (a little bit like Queens English... of which my hubby Graeme, who grew up in England, told me no longer exists), all the while being cautious not to knock someone carrying wine. I kept having this vision of me bumping someone and their red wine gliding through the air in slow motion while I dived to save the life of the $10000 painting.
Wine + fancy art + crowded gallery = an accident waiting to happen.

I really did my best to enjoy the artwork but I couldn't even take a step back to see it in perspective. Eventually we decided to go, and that I would come back another time, but to be honest there was nothing that really made me stop and go "WOW".
Whether it was the exhibition itself, or the lousy atmosphere,  I might have to wait for a new exhibition to revisit.
This really does go to show how much more there is to a gallery experience than just art on a wall.

A little deflated, we drove back to our side of town and met friends in Box Hill for Asian delights.

Day rescued.

It may not have been my favourite experience, but it taught me something about myself and something about the gallery experience, and it was definitely an adventure.

Signing off for the day, quite frustrated at the group of noisy first years sitting behind me and talking about their weekend in the library... (Why are you in the library?!?)
And yes, I am that person, my brain ceases to function in noise... which possibly contributed to my bad experience at the opening?

Oh, and here's a photo. I wore red so that you can spot me... and because I love red.

I'd love to hear your horrible gallery visit stories in the comments below,

Renee Bell
Adventuring on despite obstacles.

Life Lessons Learnt ...from the crazy that is my idea of 'doable'

So here's a little insight to my life right now. I decided that for April (the chocolate month of the year!!!) I should quit refined sugar totally and cut down on coffee. I don't know what I was thinking, maybe let's be healthy, and as I love to do, set myself a challenge at the hardest time to stick to that challenge. All I can say is I'm feelin' dem withdrawal feels; bear with me while I adjust to real energy that comes from sleep.

A little bit of info on the progress of this blog. I am LEARNING LOTS very quickly. Three things I've learnt about writing a blog.
1. Bring your laptop/tablet everywhere, and write the post immediately, edit later. I have so far been to Linden, the Nicholas Thompson Gallery Opening, Ian Potter, NGV International, ACCA, some random exhibition in Ballarat, and Bromley and Co. in Ballarat. I've published Linden.. see my problem?
2. Don't set deadlines without considering other work you have to do in the time, rest time, and ample time for things to go wrong. You simply won't meet the deadline, and creative juices do not flow when you are staring at a pile of work that needs to be done (no matter how organized you are).
3. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just press publish.

Just keepin it real homies,
Signing off,
Renee-zilla

Leading at Linden

Gallery Wanderers, Hello!

Here it is, I know you've been anxiously awaiting (for far too long) the REVEAL.

Firstly, the first prize winner, as established by Linden is.......... (drumroll please)



Susanne Castleden!!!

Scrunched Ball (Pacific Ocean)

Building The World (Mark II)

Bermuda Sunset, Rottnest Sunrise

While I liked these works, and could see the aesthetic value, I didn't consider it to be the most innovative and engaging work of the exhibition. I'm aware that this probably comes down to personal taste but the winner for me came from the creative genius of Georgie Mattingly. It was a piece called "Lovesongs from the Kill Floor" and weeks on, I am still thinking about Georgie Mattingly's film and sound recording.





Without further investigation, I was not sure whether the work was supposed to be morbid, political or comical, but as I watched and listened I found my emotions responding with both distress and humour, depending on whether my brain tuned in to the sound of meat being sliced or the sound of the radio playing pop songs and advertisements over the top. It was a very strange experience, but definitely unique. The Artist actually took on an internship at an abattoir to complete this work. That's commitment! Respect to you, Mattingly.

You may be wondering why I included a photo of hanging headphones?
Well, if you haven't noticed (my hubby didn't), the artist has been especially thoughtful about every aspect of the presentation of her work. Rather than hanging the headphones on the wall, they are hung from the ceiling just like a dead animal would hang in an abattoir ready to be slaughtered and carved.
It is this attention to detail that makes me love Mattingly's work more!

What a fantastic welcome to Melbourne from the art world.

Speaking of finer details... You will notice in the coming days and weeks the structure of Leader Follower changing. You all know I'm new to the blog world and learning every day, and this means change and progression. Just as art must change and progress to continue, so must I.

What does this mean for you?

1. One blog post per gallery visit
2. More frequent updates
3. Happy adventurers

How did I manage to do this?

It's simple... Just bring my technology to the gallery, and write the post there. And yes, I couldn't come up on this solution on my own, I had to ask my lecturer for help... Just a little glimpse into my fuzzy wuzzy brain right there.

Logging off feeling like a genius,
Renee Bell