Barely Fair 2023
Murmurs presents new work by Benjamin Asam Kellogg’s miniature exhibition Sanctus Stone at Barely Fair, a 1:12 scale international fair in at Color Club in Chicago.
![]()
𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 is comprised of sculptures, paintings, and relics from antiquity exploring humanity's pursuit to harness and consequently worship the eternal flame. The installation is designed to be a temple of fire, reminiscent of agiaries built as places of worship. In the few fire temples which still exist today, sacred fires that have remained lit for centuries continue to blaze, protected within an inner chamber.Murmurs presents new work by Benjamin Asam Kellogg’s miniature exhibition Sanctus Stone at Barely Fair, a 1:12 scale international fair in at Color Club in Chicago.
About the Work
-
In 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺, an eternal flame is sequestered inside a flume shaped like a steeple, allowing a glimpse of an untamable element. In the triangular floor mural— an oft-repeated technique in Kellogg’s installations— 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, an English Medieval diamond bow casket key made of copper alloy lies in a place of prominence in the center. It pays homage to the Bronze Age, the origin of fire-cast metallurgy. In continued reverence for the element, the key is symbolic of the triumph of harnessing fire which has led to the technological progress of the ancient world. The three stones on wooden step pedestals, 𝘙𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘴, are as their title suggests, taken from monumental ancient ruins: the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, the inner chamber of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, and Aztec clay from Teotihuacan. Two diptychs on canvas complete the installation: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 which depicts all four organic elements: fire, air, water, and earth and 𝘖𝘮𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 which shows two different open air temples with an omnipresent deity looking back at the viewer. Fire doubles the intensity of each eye staring.
