Crouching Wolf
Cognitive Shifting
transforming and reshaping a person’s cognition
Christa Maria - Artist
the voice
cognitive shifting is a long-term artistic project rooted in a personal chapter of christa maria’s life. it explores perception, identity, control and the possibility of changing deeply established patterns of thought, behaviour and self-perception. the project grew out of a sixteen-year experience with bulimia and anorexia nervosa, serious mental illnesses rather than lifestyle choices, and follows the process of confronting and changing these patterns.
the psychological and physical consequences of bulimia ultimately alter the person’s emotional health, driving individuals to become extremely impulsive and irrational in their thoughts and behaviors.
christa maria's self-awareness, self-love, talents, empathy, and compassion were in cold storage from the age of 13 years.
i met christa Maria at the age of 29 in 2001 and quickly recognized her extraordinary potential, but also her inadequate education and social skills. she wanted to shift, but was certain nothing can safe her.
“Art is a wound turned into light.”
~ Georges Braque
discovering a person's essence
the focus
why do humans cling to thoughts, opinions, and habitual behaviors with such force after they are formed? do they may protect us, keep us safe, literally, help us survive? the more threatened we feel, the more we circle the wagons of our behaviors and opinions to keep ourselves sheltered. what if we live with an “accidental identity” rather than a true sense of who we are? how can we challenge a prescribed sense of identity, peel back layers, and find out who we really are?
To move the habitual needle even a little, is a tough, process oriented challenge, and the least effective change strategies hinge on fear, guilt, shame, and inferiority.
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” ~ Martin Luther King,Jr.
photographic works about a process of actualizing one’s potentialities
the photographs
christa maria’s journey serves as the impulse for the photographic works. feelings and emotions are transformed into allegorical images.
Solitude
baustelle. two stages used for eight photographic works about recovery
the stages
Stage I & Stage II will be used for multiple scenes, from progressing to mindfulness, self-awareness, and self-care.
The response of Body shaming, Bullying, Gender discrimination, observing violence, and sexual abuse generated uncontrollable inner feelings and self-destruction.
In order to heal, pain must simply be understood.
Baustelle, Stage I
Baustelle, stage II
the process
one step leads to another, with pauses in between to resolve
over the years working with christa maria she shifted different aspects of her being; intellectual, physical, relational, and emotional. she learned healthy boundaries, honoring her heart, and recognizing her authentic-self. She healed and developed. eventually, she came to believe that she has value to offer. she became present in the world as a woman.
“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”
~ Socrates
Liberty
the platform
an art exhibition
the works is intended to appear as an art exhibition.
the artist
a creative partnership with christa maria
artist and photographer klaus laubmayer
a german born photographer, installation and video artist has been based in new York city until 2004. his works encompasses theatrical installation, conceptual art, portraiture, beauty and fashion photography and includes the ny times, time magazine, vogue, stern, karl lagerfeld, christian lacroix, comme des garcons, ullstein, rizzolli, simon & schuster, among others.
© Klaus Laubmayer
Biography
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