Flossie Peitsch Homemade: Locating the spiritual self in family space and place

This exhibition was held from August 11 to September 1 2005

Artist's Statement

"Home is where one starts from." wrote T.S. Elliot (1972 p31). In the family and the family home, a microcosm of society, life's ultimate questions seem to be considered - Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here?

Flossie with one of her work

My work is about family values and the ties that bind, both in a spiritual and physical sense.

I believe the starting point for spirituality is in the everyday workings of the family. I study the ontological nature of the human spirit, especially the Tillichian concept of the divine entity as the ground of our being as it pertains to the broadly defined family and the sacredness of space.

As an immigrant of thirty years, I follow my own journey finding place and space in Australia; questioning iof it is posiible to belong to this land. Being a mother of six, I also attempt to locate my children in the landscape. My study uses 'the home', in particular one's birth home, as a metaphor of personhood.

This is an excellent time to discover a universal spirituality as transferred through familiies. A search for common global values and visions may effect much more than tolerance of other cultures, An underlying theme of this art os exploring the role of faith in building a harmonious multi-cultural society.

Artist's contact email: Flossie.Peitsch@research.vu.edu.au

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