Artists

Artist Bio

Ed Fraga, born in Imlay City, MI, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Wayne State University, Detroit, in 1980 and, in 2008, was recognized with a Distinguished Alumni award. His paintings and drawings are in the public collections of The Detroit Institute of Arts, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI; Flint Institute of Arts, MI; and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Fraga's first solo show was in 1984 at the Feigenson Gallery, Detroit. Fraga showed his work in solo exhibitions in New York City in 2002 and 2007. He is a recipient of the Awards in the Visual Arts 8, Midwest National Endowment for the Arts award and a Rockefeller Foundation residency in Bellagio, Italy.

ArtX Project Description

Title: Agnus Dei - Stage One: Extispicy
Medium: Unknown
Year Created: 2011
Description: The tradition of animal sacrifice as it relates to religious symbolism has long since informed Ed Fraga’s work. He is interested in the reading and interpretation of artifacts and archaeological discoveries linked to the sacred and notions of ownership. His installation, Agnus Dei –Stage One: Extispicy, addresses the practice of using anomalies in animal entrails to predict or divine future events (common in Mesopotamia and then later in ancient Rome). In the center of a 9 x 17 foot room, a display case made of wood and glass houses the bones of a sheep. The bones are laid on sewn patches of wool. At the far end of the case, a funnel-like shape made of clay and covered in gold leaf emerges from below. On the floor next to the vessel, a white porcelain bowl rests. Extruding from the same vessel is a thin red string forming a pile of wool. Acts of ritual, alchemy, and the natural world are woven together in this work to pose questions. Ed wishes to thank the following for their assistance with Agnus Dei: John Rowland, John Murphy, Tim Thayer, Sandra Cardew, and Sybil Williams.