49 Elegies

November 1, 2018 11:11 PM

PULSE Nightclub: 49 Elegies is a series by artist John Gutoskey "to honor and commemorate–-with a monoprint–-each of the 49 people massacred at the LQBTQ PULSE nightclub in Orlando, Florida on June 12, 2016... This exhibit addresses not only the loss, the grief and the aftermath of such a tragic event, but also intersects with the current issues of gun violence, homophobia, Hispanophobia, violence against people of color and the transgender community, and LGBTQ rights. The 49 mixed media monoprints in this series combine woodcut, collage, digital images from photographs and scans, stencil, spray enamel, glitter, colored pencil, art paper, gift wrap paper, and alcohol gel transfer decals."

Artistic Elegies for the Victims of the Pulse Nightclub Shooting: In a vibrant and beautiful tribute, John Gutoskey has made 49 unique monoprints, one for each victim.

John Gutoskey’s “PULSE Nightclub: 49 Elegies" series honors those murdered in Orlando

The monoprints are not stand-ins for the actual victims, but more a visual narrative or visual poem made up of 49 elegies that attempt to communicate what happened to the victims of the PULSE Nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016, and its aftermath, as the entire LGBTQ community grappled with it both locally and nationally. In modern times, the elegy is written not out of a personal sense of grief, but out of a broader feeling of metaphysical sadness and loss, and it has often been used to elegize a group. The classic elegy has three parts. It begins with a lament of grief and sorrow, a middle section of praise and admiration for the deceased, and it ends with a section that consoles and brings solace to the living. I felt that this poetic form worked well with what I had been thinking I would create in my studio. I used the elegy form as a framework and theme for the 49 monoprints, and I kept this in mind as I made them -- some of the prints lament, some celebrate, and some attempt to console.

John Gutoskey wins 2018 Alpha & Omega Prize for Contemporary Religious Arts [Via]

posted by homunculus (4 comments total)

Thanks for sharing this.
posted by nikaspark at 4:02 AM on November 2, 2018

.
posted by GenderNullPointerException at 5:51 AM on November 2, 2018

John is a good friend of mine. These pieces are so powerful in person - if you ever get a chance to see them - even more than on screen. So pleased to see this series getting the recognition it deserves. I'll see him tonight so am happy to be able to congratulate him in person on the latest award.
posted by leslies at 8:13 AM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

We were lucky enough to see these at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids recently.
posted by stevil at 8:54 AM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]