Grace Cornell

Grace Cornell
Deus meus, Deus meus, ut quid dereliquisti me?

This project utilizes the prominent critiques of the Catholic Church as a starting point for reimagining the 12 apostles in stained glass and collage. The work engages in the debate around the Catholic Church’s standing in this era. Playing with the assumption of the pristine holiness of the church, I created a window for each of the 12 apostles depicted in the Bible. The windows appear to be traditional stained glass art, echoing popular gothic forms, but upon closer examination, these 12 icons emphasize brokenness within the church. Taking a closer look through the windows, one can see allusions to the church’s horrors. The removal of the iconic figures further indicates the loss of humanity. When peering into the translucent glass, one’s body engages in looking at, into, and through these windows to see the effects of Catholic influence. This work draws on personal relationships with the Catholic Church and public criticism of its claim to modernity. One can undoubtedly see the broken and regressive nature of this organized religion.