The Breeze At Dawn
10 November 2021

where is the dawn taking us

narrowly past the gates

the stranger's howling aubade

brought to tempt the sun

—Vanessa Aricco

 

We asked artists to consider the dawn, that golden hour, the in-between. 

 

Inspired by The Breeze at Dawn by Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks, what emerged from this open call is as vast and varied as the eyes that wake to it.

 

These divergent interpretations bring to mind the bifurcation of translation, of writer and reader, of artist and viewer.

 

So, how does a poet make selections for a visual art exhibition? Well, I look to the poet’s of course.

 

Pablo Neruda starts his poem “Arte Poética,” “Entre sombra y espacio,” Between shadow and space, or as another translation gives, between dark and the void.

 

How many ways can the translator translate these words, this notion, call it god or spirit, matter and emptiness, interpretation and intent. 

 

“Poetry is what gets lost in translation,” said Robert Frost. What’s extracted will never match what was intended by the creator. 

 

Is meaning irrelevant? 

How does this make you feel?

 

Once it’s released into the world it is up to you to decide.

 

Tear off the veil and bring the wonder back! 

​

-Vanessa Aricco, Guest Curator 

Vanessa Aricco is a multimedia poet and co-host of Confessing Animals, an interview-style podcast discussing creativity with writers and artists. Her work includes two poetry albums, The Midnight Rush, and Human Animal. She is a Charlotte Street Foundation 2019-2022 Studio Resident in Kansas City, MO. Her work can be found at vanessaaricco.com and @pettinellawinters on Instagram. Excerpt above is from her full-length poetry manuscript On the Cusp of Air and Water, a deconstructed epic about transformation in the wake of destruction.