“DIVINE BREATH NYC”
Ruby Rumié
October 4 – 26, 2019
Opening: Thursday, October 3rd from 6 to 9 p.m.
La Mama Galleria
47 Great Jones St, New York, NY 10003
917-862-8789
divinebreathnyc@gmail.com
www.divinebreathnyc.com
Tues-Sun 1-7pm

Divine Breath NYC explores the pain shared by women who have endured domestic violence, identifies the damage this violence does to them, and recognizes the need for them to fully mourn in order to revive their self-esteem.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Divine Breath committee and the support of the Safe Horizon Foundation, this exhibition recreates artist Ruby Rumie ́s project of one hundred survivors of domestic violence in Cartagena, Colombia with one hundred survivors in New York City.

The participants joined Ms. Rumié in intimate ceremonies of meditation and breathing exercises, after which, each woman exhaled her pain into a ceramic vessel as a symbol of recognizing, releasing, and transforming her silent pain into divine breath. The goal was to collectively create a positive and transformative experience for the women. To represent the diversity of New York City, the ceremonial vessels were created by seven local ceramic artists: Rana Amirtahmasebi, Will Coggin, Paula Greif, Eleni Kontos, Ben Peterson, Biata Roytburd and Mia Schachter.

Through this exhibition, Ruby Rumié joins the voices of the Colombian survivors with those of the New York survivors, showing us that domestic violence is a universal problem that transcends age, race, class, and culture. The Divine Breath project does not merely represent this hidden and escalating social issue, but instead, infuses it with hope and dignity for the survivors and those who experience the exhibition.

The exhibition will consist of the following phases:
1. The seven NYC prototype vessels
2. Photographs of the 100 New York women and their vessels, along with the 100 Cartagena women and their vessels
3. The 100 NYC vessels
4. Photographs of the 100 New York vessels along with the corresponding Cartagena vessels
5. Projected texts with the participant’s comments

Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading victim assistance organization. Their mission is to provide support, prevent violence, and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families and communities.