Totem for Humanity

TOTEM FOR HUMANITY - Tree of Life with Giver&Keeper of Happiness“...

 ...seasonal and site specific installation at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, till tomorrow, Jan 12th... at the vestibule of the Raimund Abraham  unique building at at 11E 52nd st and 5th Ave, in vicinity of MOMA.

 before it resides to its hibernation phase till next year ... to again celebrate the many holidays around the world that join us together in celebrating the ending of the old year and the beginning of the new year.

This Installation, made up of recycled and upcycled hand made lace from all over the world celebrates human heritage and human values passed on from generation to generation also through the celebration of human made, human shared and human bound traditions.

My thanks to director of ACF Mrs. Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger for her kind invitation and trust as well as to Stephanie Buchmann, artistic head of ACF NYC and curator of Totem For Humanity for all her guidance. My thanks to the entire team of ACF for the amazing support . 

Last but not least, thanks also to amazing installers Gerry (Gerhard) and Michael without whom Totem for Humanity would not be growing from ACF‘s roots upwards and onwards! 

Totem for Humanity - Tree of Life serves as an emotional anchor, evoking strong reactions through its intricately crafted, hand-made lace parts that contain recycled stories.

 Its appearance, reminiscent of ancient natural forms, carries a touch of futurism in its hybrid quality. The totem strives to establish a universal symbolic language, expressing not only human-made patterns but also referencing nature's universal language of geometry and intricate patterns found in all life forms.

It symbolizes a connection to the web of life, of which we are an integral part.

Mirroring the shared values inherent in the miracle of life for all beings on Earth, the artwork incorporates symbols and values common to all cultures, beliefs, and religions. Positioned as a Totem for Humanity, it symbolizes the marvel of life on our planet, urging us to care for it collectively.

It celebrates the transition from darkness to light, while inviting a resonance of symbols from diverse cultures, creating a multi-layered motif that serves as a hybrid of human and environmental symbols. It is resonating with a frequency of compassion essential in today’s world and this new year.

The Giver and The Keeper of Happiness represent the hope to overcome darkness with light—both within ourselves and within society, fostering positive relations on all levels, from our individual private lives to the realm of politics ... an aspiration to transcend exaggerated individualism and open the door to empathy in every life ... a realization that we are interconnected and interdependent, much like the individual threads in my lace assemblages: when one thread tears, the resonance affects all threads in the lace assembly.

 Kindly invited to see the Totem for Humanity - Tree of light at the Raimund Abraham's vestibule of the unique ACF NYC building on11 East 52nd St. New York. 

 If you are not in NYC: kindly invited to glimpse at the Totem for Humanity - Tree of Life at this short video:

 https://vimeo.com/1032836927   

Copyright © Eva Petric, 2025, Bildrecht Vienna, All rights reserved.