Eye to Eye
by Alex Castro
Sebastian Martorana
Homeland Security Blanket
2008
marble
24 x 24 x 24 inches
Stone-carving is alive and well, at least in Baltimore. Sebstian Martorana's memorial to vulnerability, Homeland Security Blanket, is evidence of a highly disciplined technique and an acutely focused conceptual vision. Someone sits wrapped in an American flag. The artist has said it is a child. But its ambiguity envelops the viewer as well. We can feel ourselves beneath the flag; we can feel the insecurity and, almost, fear. Martorana says of this work, "It is a thanksgiving for the sacrificed lives of others for, auspiciously, my own protection. My sense of domestic security is represented by the blanket-like flag; the loss of life to sustain this is represented by the conspicuous lack of stars."
—Alex Castro
Homeland Security Blanket
2008
marble
24 x 24 x 24 inches
Stone-carving is alive and well, at least in Baltimore. Sebstian Martorana's memorial to vulnerability, Homeland Security Blanket, is evidence of a highly disciplined technique and an acutely focused conceptual vision. Someone sits wrapped in an American flag. The artist has said it is a child. But its ambiguity envelops the viewer as well. We can feel ourselves beneath the flag; we can feel the insecurity and, almost, fear. Martorana says of this work, "It is a thanksgiving for the sacrificed lives of others for, auspiciously, my own protection. My sense of domestic security is represented by the blanket-like flag; the loss of life to sustain this is represented by the conspicuous lack of stars."
—Alex Castro
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