Vanessa German: Miracles and Glory Abound

This exhibition explores the power of stories. How do tales that pass from generation to generation change with each retelling? How do the alterations of truth affect our understanding of history and shape current ideologies?

Miracles and Glory Abound draws from both the visual and emotional concept of the iconic painting. Using her own power-figures to imitate Leutze’s composition, Vanessa German creates a conversation about public memory and the rewriting of history through the lens of privilege. The exhibition explores the complicated, nuanced history of the United States and how that history relates to our current suffering in the echoes of violence, hate, and materialism.

Image: Vanessa German, American, b. 1977. oh for the healing of the blues, 2016. Mixed media assemblage. 73 x 26 x 44” (185.4 x 66 x 111.7 cm). Collection of the Figge Art Museum, Davenport; museum purchase with funds provided by the Friends of Art Acquisition Fund and Linda and J. Randolph Lewis, 2017.27.1. Courtesy of the artist and Pavel Zoubok, Fine Art, NY