Anamnesis
‘Anamnesis means remembrance or reminiscence, the collection and recollection of what has been lost, forgotten, or effaced. It is therefore a matter of the very old, of what has made us who we are. But anamnesis is also a work that transforms its subject, always producing something new. To recollect the old, to produce the new: that is the task of Anamnesis’.
Anamnesis is the first solo exhibition of Clint Calleja. Anamnesis is a journey of trauma and memory. My intimate walk through the events that have shaped me as a person, father, teacher and artist. In his own words, "Anamnesis is a deep self-revelation, my coming to terms with the past to put my soul at rest.
Anamnesis is my innermost self-portrait."
Traumatic experiences may not be admitted in a person’s consciousness until they reach a safe period. Clint has reached this time and through this exhibition of paintings, sculpture and installations he is coming to terms with four life-changing events which unfold in a chronological order from his childhood to the present.
Chapter 1
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Childhood memories, being positive or traumatic, leave an indelible imprint and remain scattered and blurry in our consciousness. This was, and perhaps still is, a sad occurrence of child harassment/abuse made even more abominable since innocence is normally stolen by those you normally seek for love and spiritual comfort. Your world shatters as you find yourself powerless sinking in a quicksand of doubts.
Faith I
Oil on wood and a montage of manipulated photographs
The rose window recurs throughout the four chapters of this exhibition. Through their shimmering beauty in churches, they narrate stories that emanate the comfort of religious faith. This window captures flashbacks of childhood memories, when faith was still vibrant, until the abuse which shattered it all.
Verbum
Installation
This is a work from the first chapter of Anamnesis, recounting the trauma of child abuse.
The harasser is physically absent, but his presence is omnipresent. Victims survive, but are dismembered, causing dramatic difficulties in their walk through life.