grüss gott magazine bread of life.

March 11, 2025 nita artwork, collage, design, illustration

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*for the grüss gott magazine spring 2025 edition of archdiocese linz i was happy to create yet another collage illustration. this time focusing on the question of how jesus was able feeding the multitude, the term is also known as the miracle of the 5 breads & 7 fishes*. the bread of life – in this time & i guess for many ages the question of how subsistence & existencial needs of food could be assured & in a fair balance & furthermore the awareness, conscious treatment & sharing of resources is indeed a serious matter. to unravel the mystery of how jesus might have succeeded in multiplying resources for his followers – the editorial team consulted a religion & sports teacher, the head of ‘marienstüberl’ – a place & initiative by caritas, where people on the margins of society can meet & eat – last but not least a master in fishery about their view & expertise. looking outside at the canvas of our earth, this world is not in balance in giving & taking – taking care of each other got lost in a tendency of strayed ego individualistic goals – wilfully targeted by companies pushing fears to have overproduction living on. an overdone manifest of materialistic growth instead of essential increase. so parts of the world are feeling a gap & emptiness while in over consuming satiation, while others are in everyday exploited exhaustion. coeval thinking about the term, there is a very obvious link to behold it as metaphor, sometimes this little courageous gestures can have a huge effect. as every time when i encounter a new subject i try to look what comes up in my mind, before i start researching & diving in sources as books & articles. it was the mirror & the butterfly effect. the easiest thing to multiply one thing is to use a mirror. from this point of view, the way you act is reflecting on your surrounding. if you treat someone with kindness, that person might carry your intention further, an effect of gentle gestures. for the collages central figure i went with a salvador mundi etching after juan de juanes. as always there are botanical & organic details of animals & symbols which give a hint on the subject itself. as add ons you find amongst a variety of other clues a monstrance, flying fishes, butterflys, a parrot, mirrors, notes of natural science details & formulas fragments, geometry. details of de clerck, brueghel, van der borcht as well as botticelli, tintoretto, candid & caliari – so lots of old masters captured in a net & composed to a mountain. love might be the easiest thing to multiply in theory, but seems like it is slick & slippery like a fish to keep. some things are here for giving & not for owning. as i sit here writing this description, i need to mark out again that i appreciate to work on matters like this & for that i am thankful for this beautiful project. merci beaucoup to silvia druml-shams, matti wulfes & the whole team for a wonderful collaboration & your trust. ‘in flowers i trust™.’ ♥︎

*’here is a boy with five small barley loaves & two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’ (joh. 6.9)