Pressure from within: Life Springs forth

If the egg never cracks open from within, or, is cracked open by external force it will just decay and rot perfectly intact. And what would the point of its fucking existence then? There you have it, my first two lines...complete with profanity and existential wondering. 

Last week I was invited to an exclusive artsy soiree at La Luna Resort. I was told that I was especially invited to write and take pictures of Rene Froehlich's latest fiberglass sculpture exhibit: "Inside out".  In local parlance " Ah did feel nice!". No promises were made that there would be a resulting blog post. I had recently learned from Stacy Byer ( Grenadian artist and illustrator) that if work commissioned does not work for her, it will not be forced, she believes in great work...and she said so unapologetically. I took note.  

When I got to the gate of the Resort I let the security guard know I was there for the exhibit, he replied "Oh the party...go straight down". Party? He must not have understood...it was an exhibit. Or was it?  

The sun had just disappeared beneath the horizon as I walked down the steep path to the ocean front yoga pavilion. I saw a small bar set up in the distance (yes! The free wine I was hoping for), some sculptures in the area surrounding the yoga pavilion, and yes, there was music (it was quite party like). 

This was intriguing. I walked around the pavilion discovering illuminated female fiberglass  figures, incomplete or maybe broken (i.e missing arms and legs or parts thereof)  in the bushes. This was unlike any exhibit I had seen before. There were sculptures and installations in the garden of the art school next to my law school back in Trinidad but none that were so gracefully placed "in the bush" almost as if they simply belonged.  

I saw Asher Mains (as I usually do at these things) and we got to talking about the work. Asher explained that when Renee was in art school his teacher said " If an egg is cracked from the outside, it means death, but if it cracks from pressure from within that means life"...or something to that effect. What an amazing spring board to leap from into my internal journey into making sense of this exhibit. 

In the centre of the pavilion was a female figure, from just beneath crotch to neck, glowing from within, burst open at the sides.  Liberation!!!  

Many of us spend a large portion of our lives distracted by the task of  holding our shit together. There is so much internal chatter and external pressure. Pressure that has become our truth, and the benchmarks to which we hold the validity of our existence. The biggest lie is that allowing ourselves to be molded by this pressure will make us good and worthy. 

The figure, the centerpiece and conversation piece of this exhibit spoke to my soul. If we just ripped, from the pressure of our essence, it would be revealed that we glow from the inside . If we break from the pressure from anything else we are ruined...for nothing.  

Liberation, self determination and glowing from within and owning my magic have been the themes that have returned to me throughout this year's journey over and over...just as I suspected at the end of last year.  As I continued to explore the gardens (almost trampling the Resort's Kitchen garden to get an interesting perspective from behind the lens) the theme jumped out at me again and again.  

Zipping us up by the backside as we come undone, but the delightful truth remains; that the light which shines from within must be allowed to illuminate the darkness. 

There is an urgency guided by our almost mystified intuition to push against the boundaries. 

Incase the messages from the exhibit could not speak to me any more categorically there she was, ripping the box open as she emerged.  

Earlier this year I read (and listened to) The Celestine Prophesy by James Redfield. A Passage that stood out most to me was: 

 ' She hesitated for a moment, still looking at me intensely. " 

He said "the Manuscript dates back to about 600 BC. It predicts a massive transformation in human society."  

"Beginning when" I asked  

"In the last decades of the twentieth century."  

"Now?!"

 "Yes now"  

 "What kind of transformation is it supposed to be?" I asked.  

She looked embarrassed for a moment, then with force said, "The priest told me it's a kind of rennaisance of consciousness, occurring very slowly. It's not religious in nature, but spiritual. We are discovering something new about human life on this planet, about what our existence means, and according to the priest, this knowledge will alter human culture dramatically."'

Soul Adventures and the courage to return to authenticity vs crowd pleasing, and, being honest about my desires this year has set me on a path to a tingly magical space. I slowly awaken from the delusions and distractions...I have cracked. The pressure from within was too great, something was determined to be released, it was life longing for itself. The belief in a harmonious existence.  

Life was never about pristine uncracked egg in the first place. It is useless. This appearance must be shattered and the essence....life...must spring forth. 

Thank You Rene, for the timely reminder. 

The exhibit is open to the public until January 25th at La Luna Resort in Morne Rouge, St. George. 

You can follow Rene on Instagram for some behind the scenes images of his work and life.