We are only first in the flesh: The Lenten cloth in St Michael's Church

Tingley and Savic deal with the tension between spirit and corporeality. In printed large-format works on canvas, they produce objects between amorphous mass and flesh. The basis of the composition for St Michael's Church is hair, which is applied to the support using a printing process with paint in such a way that a large piece of flesh appears to be created. On closer observation, the viewer begins to perceive the permeability and lightness of the piece of flesh, which at first seems very superficial and over-present.

The result is a picture puzzle between something raw, almost brutal, and a very fine aesthetic that touches the viewer on the level of harmony and a very differentiated aesthetic. Viewing it leads us to reflect on our existence in the field of tension between being and eternity. The installation can lead us to reflect on death and resurrection when viewed in an attitude of faith or simply through its presence in the church interior.  

Tingley's artworks are largely unknown in Europe. He began to present his work on the old continent in a first exhibition in Bucharest. In California, he is one of the most sought-after artists in Hollywood. His works are included in the collections of Francois Nars, Paul Michell and many others. 

With this project, the parish of St Michael, together with the Salvatorian order, would like to show an artist who - in cooperation with Peter Savic - deals with the depths of being, but also with the abysses of the world of the rich and beautiful.

Intense life, but also death, sacrifice and renunciation are thematised without restricting the viewer's freedom or superficially fixating on one theme. Possible provocations dissolve into an inner emotion with patient contemplation.
 

[1] The visualisation shown here was created using an older view of the room. In the realisation, the Lenten cloth will be seen in isolation.