{"title":"Cheryl Safren","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg style=\"max-height: 300px; max-width:55%\" src=\"https:\/\/helloart-prod-bucket.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/media\/artist\/cheryl-safren\/cheryl-safren-profile.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCheryl Safren is a New York-based visual artist. Her practice — spanning painting, sculpture, public art, and experimental processes — has been collected by universities, research institutions, and municipalities across the United States, Asia, and beyond.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eARTIST’S STATEMENT\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eSymbols in Early Languages\r\u003cbr\u003eSymbols, as a form of communication, have been scratched onto rocks by cavemen and used by physicists employing powerful computers to explain string theory.  Some symbols may only be understood in a certain place or time in history or by those educated in a certain field of endeavor. This exhibit explores visual symbols functioning as letters in alphabets to facilitate written language.  From the originators of petroglyphs to the symbology of the alchemists, humans found a way to communicate by making simple marks and assigning meaning to those marks. Each art panel in this exhibition is a composite of alphabets from a specific time and place such as the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Lanna Kingdom, Indus Valley, etc.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"alchemy-3","title":"Alchemy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChemistry on copper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e48x36\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis work was entirely created by applying chemistry as you can see in the detail image. The alchemists actually practiced throughout Europe, Africa, Brazil and Asia. They played a significant role in early modern science particularly chemistry and medicine.  However, they combined that with antiquity's belief in magic, mythology, and religion and guarded their work in secrecy.  Although we in the English-speaking world when referring to alchemists are generally speaking of the alchemists of Medieval Europe.  These are symbols used by those alchemists.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393145606247,"sku":null,"price":8555.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791322824_69645.jpg?v=1791369689"},{"product_id":"bronze-age","title":"Bronze Age","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChemistry on copper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e48x36\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e3700BC – 500BC -I made the copper look like bronze.  This panel was very labor intensive because the design inside each letter is unique.  The symbols appearing in this panel predate Hebrew and Arabic and are taken from the languages of the time such as Phoenician, Hurrian and late Bronze Age Aramaic. These symbols were developed by a Semitic people living in or near Egypt.  These Semitic peoples used their own specific symbols that were quickly adopted by their neighbors and relatives to the east and north, the Canaanites, the Hebrews, and the Phoenicians.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393153962087,"sku":null,"price":7310.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791324138_11361.jpg?v=1791369747"},{"product_id":"geez","title":"Ge'ez","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSand, mortar color on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e48x36\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Ge'ez language is believed by scholars to be one of the oldest languages .  Described by some as the father of languages. Ge'ez is an ancient Semitic language that originated in Ethiopia.  Ge'ez went extinct as a natural language over 1000 years ago and is no longer spoken as the native tongue of any people but is still used in part of the liturgy in both the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches.  I made this panel to look like the symbols were scratched onto sandstone.  The Adigrat Sandstone formation in north Ethiopia, has a wide array of reddish colours, with coarse to fine grains. It is the rock type used to carve most of the rock-hewn churches in the Tigray region. I created this artwork to look like the symbols were scratched onto that native sandstone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393157697639,"sku":null,"price":2925.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791324846_99278.jpg?v=1791369805"},{"product_id":"lydian-tablet","title":"Lydian Tablet","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePlaster on plaster board.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e48x36\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLydian was an Indo-European language used from the end of the third century to the end of the eighth.  Lydia was a kingdom located in the western part of Asia Minor located where Turkey is today.  Its capital was Sardis.  Our economic system based on coinage was founded there.  Lydia might have been an economic superpower had it not been defeated by the Persians.  On this panel, I used plaster on plaster as a facsimile for the white stone or marble they used.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393164218471,"sku":null,"price":5850.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791327284_60275.jpg?v=1791369904"},{"product_id":"runic","title":"Runic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCeramic and tin on wood.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e43x43\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe circular symbols represent Viking marks.  Rune stones served three main functions: memorials for the dead, self-promotion, and religious belief. There use declined after the Christianization of Scandinavia; most writing in Scandinavia from the 12th century on used the Latin alphabet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393167331431,"sku":null,"price":8770.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791328035_27049.jpg?v=1791369946"},{"product_id":"cherokee","title":"Cherokee","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAcrylic and beads on leather.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e40x51x1\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA North American Indian language, part of the Iroquoian  family.  Sequoyah  developed the  Cherokee syllabary from 1809 to 1821. His handwritten system has 86 symbols.  These are actual letters in the Cherokee language that I painted on leather using the colors employed by that Native nation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393172574311,"sku":null,"price":2925.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791328684_43758.jpg?v=1791370004"},{"product_id":"cherokee-1","title":"Cherokee","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAcrylic and beads on leather.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e40x51\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA North American Indian language, part of the Iroquoian  family.  Sequoyah  developed the  Cherokee syllabary from 1809 to 1821. His handwritten system has 86 symbols.  These are actual letters in the Cherokee language that I painted on leather using the colors employed by that Native nation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393172639847,"sku":null,"price":2925.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"kana","title":"Kana","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChemistry on copper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e40.50x52.50\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJapanese calligraphy dates back to ancient times, as does their use of patination on metals.  In the Kana panel, the calligraphy is brushed on with various chemicals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393174573159,"sku":null,"price":2925.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791330265_56112.jpg?v=1791370047"},{"product_id":"lanna-kingdom","title":"Lanna Kingdom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAcrylic, beads, trim, fabric on wood.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e48x36x1\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnown as the Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields, Lanna flourished between 1259 and 1558, when it was conquered by Burma and later taken over by Siam. In 1920, Siam annexed the Lan Na states into present day Thailand. I pieced together the fabric background before painting on the Thai symbols and then applied the beading to represent the ornate and gemlike patterns.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393174704231,"sku":null,"price":7020.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791331179_34381.jpg?v=1791370051"},{"product_id":"indus","title":"Indus","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAcrylic on wood.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e43x55.50\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis composition is inspired by the script from early civilizations in the Indus Valley. Indus is still undeciphered by experts because it is made up of hundreds of abstract symbols. I made this design up in the style of the ancient script. By 1800 BCE, the Indus Valley Civilization was on its decline for unknown reasons.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50393178210407,"sku":null,"price":9940.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791331750_30645.jpg?v=1791370105"},{"product_id":"early-language","title":"Early Language","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBurning on wood.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e48x36x1\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this panel the symbols are burned into wood; a common substrate used by early peoples.  This panel was inspired by the Petroglyphs on Petrified Wood along the Seismosaurus trail in the Ojito Wilderness in New Mexico. The petroglyphs along the Fossil Discovery Trail in Dinosaur National Monument were carved by indigenous people over a thousand years ago. The Fremont people, who lived in the area between 300 and 1300 CE, are credited with creating many of the petroglyphs. I foundnpieces of bark laying on the ground which I jigged together to make the frame.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Safren","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50394156204135,"sku":null,"price":5850.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0063\/3038\/4487\/files\/1_1791325996_72289.jpg?v=1791387760"}],"url":"https:\/\/helloart.com\/fr\/collections\/cheryl-safren.oembed","provider":"helloart","version":"1.0","type":"link"}