BLOOD DRIPPING LIKE FLOWERS: A NOVENA OF SORT

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Day One. A Red Canvas.

Red. Splattering. Red. Dripping. Red. Pulsating.

In the recent paintings at MO_Space of contemporary artist Lou Lim, one can observe these movements of spattering, dripping, and pulsating, albeit in subdued, quiet ways.

She manipulates the liquid qualities of acrylic paint by funneling them down onto the canvas, spilling on the surface area of the immaculate surface, and allowing the drip to flow on all four corners.

I surmise that we can resonate with her artistic intent that red is a verb and painting is an action. This motivation affirms that art is in flux. It flows like the turbulent yet transformative Red Sea.

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Day Two. Underpainting.

What does the color red of the underpainting indicate through the processes and gestures employed by the artist--for herself and for women in general? Are they color fields that evoke the abdominal pains of the menstrual cycle? Are they the hues of pangs at childbirth? Are these the colors of flags of protest against abuse, exploitation, and brutality against women? Are they the colors of lips, dresses, and shoes that accentuated their innate beauty? 

One dominant image that comes to my mind is the silent agony of Magdalene as she wipes off the blood of her Rabboni, her teacher, being scourged at the pillar with metal claws that ripped his corporeality-- making his divinity bleed mortality. This scene of the defilement of Messiah and the act of purification by soaking her white veil with his blood is choreographed by Mel Gibson in the film Passion of the Christ.

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Day Three. Floral Arrangements

A typical floral arrangement in the local flower market. It consists of white Mums (Chrysanthemums var.) and Casa Blanca Lilies (Lilium var.) and surrounded with green foliage such as the leaves of Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticose), Anahaw (Saribus rotundifolius), Chinese Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) and Zebra Plant Deeply Variegated (Sanchezia Speciosa var.).  A floral offering at the altar or at the grave.

The artist bought the arrangement as a genre and experiment. Placed on a gray, neutral wall, the floral set-up is a still life in a room allowed to wilt and dry. She is keen on observing the gradual death of the flowers and plants as the water recedes, tips rotten, and floral forms harden. Her attitude is akin to the investigation of the Dutch tradition of vanitas paintings that delve into the impermanence of things and the ephemerality of life.

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Day Four. The Red Flowers.‍

A nightingale sings its beautiful song

as a thorn of a rose pierces its heart.

A tale about roses becoming red.

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After the color field of red, the artist paints the still life of the wilted flowers and dried plants. The shapes of the flowers are silhouettes of the green foliage revealing the fresh wounds of the underpainting.‍

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Day Five. Nine Paintings. 

Why would the artist paint nine paintings of the same kind?

Is it about the search for the aura of the arranged flowers through the reproduced paintings? Is it a kind of novena blurring the creative act with a religious ascent? Is it a repetitive process of painting to gain mastery over her craft? Or is it a commentary on artists’ being caught up in the market driven-economy?

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Day Six. In Memoriam.   

A memory of a museum visit captured in a photograph. An unusual image of a corpus of Christ. A 15th Century sculpture of a deposed Messiah without the cross, solitary. Instead of stretched-out arms nailed onto a lateral wooden beam, the arms are vertically suspended as if it were showing them to unbelieving Thomases. 

The artist’s encounter with an atypical corpus struck something within her soul. Was she seeking to understand her faith or doubt looking for some tangible evidence?

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Day Seven. Wounds.

The blood dripping along gaping holes on both palms of the statue suggests not just the excruciating pain of crushed bones and torn flesh but paradoxically the petals of a flower as the artist imagines it. The flower blooms as the heart beats. Is it the beauty of sacrificial love that fascinates the artist or a call of solidarity with the suffering humanity? 

Only mystics through their stigmata can fathom the intense pain as well as the deep joy of participating in the redemptive wounds of their master.            

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Day Eight. Wax Flowers. 

In the hands of the artist’s parents, the form of sculptural flowers are cast in wax. They act as votive candles for steady and firm hands that molded her person and profession. When lit, the sculptures ennoble a ritual, melt into prayers, and dissolve into an offering.

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Day Nine. It is Finished. 

An immaculate blank canvas soaked with the hue of blood. A floral arrangement left to wilt and dry. A still life reproduced nine times to conjure its aura. A wooden corpus of a deposed Christ. Wounds blossoming into wax flowers. Hands that become mold of a cast flower. Flowers melting into prayers. Nine days of intense ritual. An artist conjures these rituals into devotions and creative processes into leaps of faith. (AM+DG 2023)