Meet the Artist: Robert Saslow

Meet the Artist: Robert Saslow

Why have you chosen to participate in Manifest Equality?

The issue of marriage equality has become so divisive in our culture that I feel people need to quiet their minds and really ponder what it means to society as a whole that we still have institutionalized discrimination against SOME of our own American brothers and sisters. Art has the capability of making powerful social commentary. In contrast to the noisy chatter of the talking heads we hear daily, attempting to sway our opinions on any particular current issue, the quiet introspection that comes from one's interaction with art can lead to heartfelt and honest and well thought out personal and political change.

Describe a bit about your submission to the gallery or the creative process you put into it.

I based my piece for Manifest Equality on my primary artform: the ketubah, or Jewish wedding contract, which is a ritual document required at any Jewish wedding. While the wording of the traditional ketubah text is quite contractual (and written entirely in ancient Aramaic), the text on this piece is a re-working of the text from my own ketubah which I created for my commitment ceremony in 1994. For me, it is refreshingly free of proscriptive gender roles, and describes with grace and clarity a commitment between any two individuals--regardless of gender. It doesn't "re-define" marriage, but broadens it in a way that can be liberating for men and women, non-gay and gay alike.

There is a reference to the "gay agenda", a term which has been hijacked and grossly misdefined by those opposed to equality. One of my goals with this piece is to reclaim it as my own, without the insulting and homophobic baggage that many would ascribe to it.

What else would you like to manifest?

A world where diversity is respected and not feared.

:: see more of Robert's work at his site ::

Posted By: Manifest Equality