Dina Goldstein
_x000D_GODS OF SUBURBIA
_x000D_Buddha, 2014
_x000D_The word Buddha means "awakened one" or "the enlightened one. Buddhism is about the search for truth or enlightenment by rejecting the three poisons that keep us from true fulfilment, they are: ignorance, attachment and aversion, which equate to the Western psychological concepts of narcissism, desire, and hatred. The 3 poisons are the result of [Ignorance] isn't just an inability to apprehend the truth but an active misapprehension of oneself and one’s surroundings—It is the blind assumption that things are different then in actuality. I’ve placed Buddha in a high-end supermarket to illustrate how far we live and exist from the ideals of Buddhism, which we, in the West, pay homage to with yoga and meditation. The irony is that we continue our immersion in the three poisons when we shop at such overpriced designer supermarkets. They are a façade—they hide truth with labels like Organic. They indulge our narcissism and desire – separating the haves even further from the have-nots, who can’t shop at such places and are left with GMO and lower scale food. They take things like apples, present them as shiny, red and perfectly shellacked. A real apple is uneven, possibly tart, with imperfections.
_x000D_Mounted Transparency with LED LIGHT PANEL
_x000D_Archival top mounted transparency on acrylic with LED light panel / Framed : add matte inches
_x000D_Large Edition 1 - 7 Medium Edition 1 - 10 Small Edition 1-20
_x000D_3”M 39”X51.6” Panel 33”X 45.6” 2”M 29.3”X 39” Panel 25.3” X 35.3” 1”M 18”X 23” Panel 16”X 21”
_x000D_Gods of Suburbia
_x000D_This is Dina Goldstein’s third large-scale project 2013-2014. The work is a visual analysis of religious faith within the context of the modern forces of technology, science and secularism. The series plays with narrative and religious iconography in order to communicate how organized belief has become twisted within a global framework driven by consumerism and greed. The project challenges the viewer — religious or secular — to embark on a journey of self-reflection as they contemplate the relevance of dogma in modernity.
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