Siberia Souls: Children (details)

ArtPrize is the world’s largest competitive art exhibit. It takes over the entire city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the fall.

Siberia Souls LED light sculpture installation has been selected for display at a  centrally located venue, the historic Fountain Street Church, which last year had over 17,000 visitors.

In collaboration with The American Civil Liberties Union, Fountain Street has organized “Art to Change the World: Inspiring Social Justice.” Art plays an important role as an agent for social and economic justice, and peace in the world. It is an honor to have Siberia Souls included in this exhibit.

I organized the Hope and Spirit project to commemorate the victims of Stalin’s mass deportations. Due to my efforts over 400 long-lost letters and photographs, sent from Siberia, were found, and the tragic family stories revealed. In Siberia Souls I incorporate these photographs and letters. Further information can be found here, and a YouTube video viewed here.

Art must address pressing political issues. In Hope and Spirit, I tried to inform the general public of Stalin’s atrocities–if history is forgotten, it will repeat itself. That is currently taking place with the rise of demagoguery and hatred–Germany of the 1930′s is reappearing here, in the US.