Live stream starts in about an hour (5pm Italy, 8am PST, 4pm UK)
Another reading rec, this one about intangible agricultural heritage preservation.
Includes a really cool practical example of traditional farming practices being good for the environment.
Today 12th of May at 8pm Central European Standard Time.
A videogame art performance by Harold Hejazi about life in Finland for an immigrant art professional.
This is a selection of selfportraits from a series I made in 2011-2016. They’re made with colour pencils on paper. In them I placed myself into various existing paintings and artworks. The series progresses from a fully finished drawing to the least finished drawing. The title of each work in the series is a female name (in lower case) and a body part. The body part in the title is always obscured in the image or not in the frame at all. Out of the fifteen portaits five are full body format, five are half figure and five are shoulders and up. Several of the works have very Mormon themes, and those are the ones I wanted to lift up here.
You can see the whole series on https://inariporkka.tumblr.com/portraits at the bottom of the page. That might not work on Tumblr app, might need to look at it on a browser.
agnes (arms)
The name comes from the Latin term Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God. The painting inspiration is Zurbaran, specifically his Agnus Dei and his Saint Francis. The arms of the figure are obscured by the lamb she carries. It is ambiguous whether she is sacrificing the lamb or rescuing it. There is a possible indication of female priestesshood going on here. The background is a reference to an abstract artist whose name escapes me. I can’t remember what I was going for there with the chalk on blackboard look - unfinished plans, maybe?
josephine (knees)
The name comes from Joseph Smith of course, and the main reference painting is of course that famous one of the First Vision. The other reference is this Renaissance trend of making religious paintings and inserting the donor of the painting into the scene. Like there are paintings of like Bible scenes like the crucifixion or Mary holding Baby Jesus and then some Renaissance guy in there too with them. So I put myself into the First Vision, like a donor. The figure is reading while kneeling behind a little… prayer box thingy that was in the original painting too, with the knees obscured. The idea there is that by reading other people’s accounts of their experiences (such as Joseph Smith’s First Vision) is like being there.
maria (shoulder)
The name is obviously a reference to Virgin Mary and the painting reference is to like early Renaissance/late Middle Ages iconography. Shoulders are hidden from view on one side by the veil and on the other by the baby leaning on the shoulder.
anna (loins)
I must admit I can’t remember what the name is in reference to. But the painting is Whistler’s Mother. I’ve drawn myself in place of the old lady in the original, my late dog is on the floor, and on the wall is my temple sealing diploma. On the left there is a white cloth - a curtain or the veil? The vibe is temple-y: either waiting to pass through the veil or having done it.
eva (nose)
The name refers to Eve. The nudity and the lush jungle all around (borrowed from Rousseau) suggest it’s pre-Fall. Nose is hidden from view by the flower she sniffs. Since Mormons have a pretty different view of Eve compared to other Christians, it’s kind of focused on just who she was, rather than eating of the fruit or any of those central story beats.
sara (neck)
The name refers to Sarah, the wife of Abraham. This is the most unfinished drawing in the series. To me it’s about exaltation (hence the crown) and not being reasy for it yet. This one is also the first one in the entire series, so it follows the system the least - for example it’s not as such a remix of a particular painting, just inspired by Botticelli in general, like the hair, really.
Attention New York! You have an amazing opportunity to see some really incredible photographic art at the MoMA PS1 by Finnish photographer Iiu Susiraja!
Get your event or classroom some queer Jewish content
If you are ever arranging something that needs a speaker and queer Jewish themes in media, theatre, circus, etc would be a good fit, I highly recommend Stav Meishar.
And if you are ever arranging anything in a theatre or circus-like space, book one of her shows, The Escape Act is incredible.






