Iconographical and Hermeneutic Interpretation of Artworks of the Stations of the Cross in Saint Benedict Catholic Cathedral, Òsogbo and Peter and Paul Catholic Pro-Cathedral Church, Ilé-Ifẹ̀, Nigeria (Published)
The passion of Christ plays a significant role in Catholic services and devotions, especially the popular Way of the Cross, or Way of Sorrows, which is observed during Lent before the Easter celebration. The symbolic representation of these events at various locations in visual form is venerated in the Catholic Faith. The paper examines and interprets the meanings of the Stations of the Cross representations in the study area to establish the significance of art in the service of the Roman Catholic Church. The article employs a qualitative research approach. Art-historical analysis, which is formal, was used to analyse the data, while iconological and hermeneutic interpretations of the works were given, engaging Kant’s Theory of metaphor. It was found out that the fourteen Stations of the Cross are commissioned by the church for meditation and devotion during Lent and all Fridays of the year to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who was killed on Friday. Findings also show that the Stations of the Cross are generally symbolic of the Catholic Faith, representing the passion, suffering and crucifixion of Christ on the Cross, which is the symbol of shame and humiliation. The article concludes that Stations of the Cross are venerated and holy objects consecrated to evoke worship and the divine presence of God during the devotion of The Way of the Cross.
Keywords: Art, Church, Metaphor, Roman Catholic, Stations of the Cross, passion of Christ
Creative Resistance: The Role of Art Activism in Advancing Social Justice (Published)
Art activism, or “creative resistance,” has emerged as a dynamic force in advancing social justice, using artistic expression to challenge systemic inequalities, provoke critical dialogue, and inspire collective action. This review explores the evolution of art activism, tracing its historical roots and theoretical underpinnings while examining its diverse strategies, including street art, performance activism, digital media, community-based art, and institutional critique. It evaluates the impact of creative resistance in mobilizing communities and shaping public discourse, while also addressing key challenges such as censorship, commercialization, and sustainability. Finally, the article considers future directions, including the role of emerging technologies and global artistic collaborations in redefining the landscape of activist art. By synthesizing multiple perspectives, this review highlights art’s enduring power as a tool for resistance and transformative change.
Keywords: Art, Social Justice, activism, creative resistance
Interdisciplinary Talent Training Model of New Media Art Major at Xi’an University: A Literature Review (Published)
With the rapid development of the new generation of information technology represented by the Internet, big data and the Internet of Things, the development of new media art has reached a height beyond the reach of any art in the past. In the context of the high popularity of media technology, many local universities in China have established new media arts majors. The new media art major is also an art category with strong timeliness. The rapid development of modern science and technology provides unlimited space for the development of the new media art major. Therefore, the talent training of new media art should keep up with the pace and trend of the development of the times. The main purpose of this study is reviewing the literature about interdisciplinary talent training model for new media arts major at Xi ‘an University. A literature review can address research questions with a power that no single study has. It can also help to provide an overview of areas in which the re-search is disparate and interdisciplinary.
Keywords: Art, Model, New Media, interdisciplinary, talent training
REVOLUTIONARY AESTHETICS IN SEMBENE OUSMANE’S GOD’S BITS OF WOOD (Published)
Literature is not just a piece of writing, which only entertains. It also performs some other functions such as teaching moral lessons and healing souls. Literature has turned out to be a medium of appending contemporary or conventional realities through the exposition of the socio-cultural and political experiences of a given society; since it (literature) is a product of a particular human society. A creative art is designed to x-ray life, with a view to display human experiences, feelings, imaginations, observations, predictions and suggestions for realistic purposes. Literature is one of the major weapons for class and/or societal struggles. This paper focuses on societal issues raised in Sembène Ousmane’s God’s bits of wood Marxist theory of violence is our theoretical framework in evaluating the writer’s preoccupations. As its purpose, the paper makes it bold to validate the fact that art and society are two interlocking entities. It is obvious that the oppressed in Sembène Ousmane’s God’s bits of wood are well mobilized and they behave as true agents of positive social transformation. They are very effective in the reconstruction agenda demonstrated in the novel. The paper ends by identifying the fundamental systemic challenges, which confront African societies during the colonial period and even now in the perceived global village and the writer is seen as one who embraces his environment and time very religiously in his artistic creation with a view to solving some common societal problems. Literature, therefore, is capable of activating and promoting the expected development in human societies.
Keywords: Art, Capitalism, Colonialism, Development, Protest