Tanya Torres  
Art for Love, Peace and Joy

Minerva González interprets a traditional Mary Magdalene in unusual materials. In the artists own words: "Mary Magdalene was a faithful follower of the great teacher Jesus. He frees her from 7 demons and her love for him was so great that she spared no money, time, possessions, or anything else to serve him. She was the first to see the risen Christ." The Magdalene holds the cross, smiling knowingly and peacefully. She moves us to join her in her meditation. Minerva has been

In her painting El Sueño de Los Amantes Está Floreciendo... en NuYOrk, artist Leenda Bonilla celebrates the mature bloom of love and the feminine "en Nueva York." Leaves and flowers surround the woman, a mid-century Magdalene, her tears contained by shells from the sea. Two lovers embrace behind her, perhaps a memory or a dream, or something else. As a Puerto Rican artist living and creating culture in the Bronx, Leenda's green forest around the figure can exist in an empty

Laura Alvarez begins the story of the Magdalene as someone would tell a fairytale: "Maria Magdalena has cried through centuries. Through time, she spilled many tears, and they became a lake where flowers blossom reaching the sky..." Laura Alvarez's mythological creature takes inspiration from the Biblical and popular stories that portray the tears of the Magdalene, and builds meaning beyond the "crying Magdalene", imagining what might happen after centuries of tears. The Magd

Juanita Lanzó's abstract image is described by the artist as "a subjective reflection on life's ephemeral and transient aspect, and the promise of renewal and hope, mirroring Mary Magdalene' witnessing the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ." This small and powerful image subtly evokes a sense of interiority and flow into the unknown self. Earthy reds and traces of graphite guide us into the depths of the soul-body. It may suggest in one's mind the gnostic understanding o

Yarisa Colon Torres' arcane verses, a fragment of the poem titled "Friendship Is An Earthly Matter," guide us on a meditation that observes and recognizes an invisible company along the chosen path. With threads and paper, color and texture, Yarisa welcomes the viewer into her perception: It seems as a minuscule universe within the eyelid that does not abandon In her own words, the artist shares: "In this handmade creation I combine collage and poetry to honor the gifts of fr

Julia Zell's sweet interpretation of Mary Magdalene incorporates her personal style, family roots and an invitation to smile as well as to dig into the spiritual symbolism of rabbits. We don't often stop to think about why bunnies are everywhere at Easter, but in Christianity, rabbits represent rebirth and resurrection, fertility and new life because of their ability to reproduce rapidly. In other contexts, rabbits symbolize humbly, kindness, compassion, intuition good luck,

It was in 2006 that Tanya and I decided to channel our shared devotion for Mary of Magdala into a joint artistic project in homage of the symbol and myth that She is. We had already started painting and writing songs for her. We had already started our obsessive dialogues and readings: interpretations and re-interpretations of Christian theology, the apocriphal and gnostic gospels, the myths, fiction, music and visual traditions of twenty centuries A.M. (After Magdalene). Eve