Davis Gallery Exhibition: Ex Voto by MG Bernard

The exhibition stems from Bernard’s interest in the medieval Church’s affiliation with health care, including pilgrimage, prayer, & the miraculous healing power of reliquaries. Catholic tradition glorifies Jesus’ & Mary’s suffering but illustrates sick & disabled people as inferior, sinful, & in need of healing. What happens when we shift the sacred gaze from historically idealized, sanitized figures such as the Virgin Mary & Christ to a chronically ill, queer, perverse bodymind? By repurposing used medical equipment specific to cystic fibrosis as contemporary sacred objects, Bernard subverts the traditional narrative that disabled & sick bodies need cleansing & curing. Instead, her artwork venerates the sick and disabled as new versions of divine saints who are prayed to.