DAYTON, Ohio — John Solowianiuk's painted interpretations of Sept. 11 may make some people uncomfortable.
Images of the Virgin Mary are surrounded by the red, white and blue of the American flag, a “personal homage” to the victims of Sept. 11, Solowianiuk says.
He created the acrylic-on-canvas paintings for “God Bless America: Artistic Variations on 9 11,” on display through Nov. 22 in the University of Dayton's Marian Library gallery. The exhibit, which includes a total of 20 paintings, woodcuts and oil and fabric collages reflecting the attacks on America in 2001, is free and open to the public.
The Marian Library is located on the seventh floor of Roesch Library on campus, and gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
or by appointment. For more information, call the Marian Library at (937) 229-4214.
The central part of the exhibit is a pair of triptychs — three separate panels representing an overall image — rendering Solowianiuk's interpretation of the Sept. 11 tragedy. A panel in one of the triptychs shows an American-flag draped Mary who “bears the weight of the attacks in her heart and weeps with the inconsolable,” according to the artist.
The exhibit also includes a fabric and oil collage collection interpreting the Ten Commandments as well as three woodcarved icons of Mary. He explains the significance of his work in great deal on the exhibit Website.
A relatively short-term resident of the United States now living in northeast Ohio, Solowianiuk was born and raised in Poland. He graduated with a master's degree in fine art from the University of Mikaloj Copernicus in Torun, Poland, and established himself as one of Europe's premier woodcarvers, according to the Rev. Johann Roten, S.M, director of the International Marian Research Institute.
As one of the three founding members of the Solidarity movement in his hometown of Hajnowka, Solowianiuk was refused a passport and unable to leave Poland until 1990, when he moved to a suburb of Cleveland.
