Gilda Edwards
Remedy
October 22-December 6, 1998

Artist's Statement

"My work is a study of objects of power, evolving from my desire to learn about methods used for healing and protection. The death of my father and sister led me in this direction; I find comfort in their possessions, using them to help me through the grieving process. Eventually, the fading body scent from their once-worn clothing indicates to me that it is time to put their possessions to rest."

Gilda Edwards' work is a blend of her many influences from the past and from the present. Her family's history inspired her to keep their memory alive by creating reliquaries for them and their possessions. Her concern with objects of power has been introduced to her art through her study of the Kongo culture in West Central Africa. The spiritual world and the profane world come together with their use of what Edwards calls "power figures" and she creates these figures as a way of bringing her past into the present. She is also concerned with the power that these images have to heal and bring good fortune to those who possess them. Edwards feels that the power that these pieces hold comes from their use by human owners. She sees herself as a scavenger for materials, and reuses objects to create something new and different, building on the power of each past use. Nails, driftwood, clay, buttons, and eyeglasses are just a few of the materials that Edwards is known to use in her study of objects of power and remedy.