DESCRIPTION
According to legend, the two witnesses of Jesus' crucifixion, the mothers of the apostles James and John, were abandoned by enemies on a boat and washed up on the coast of the southern French Camargue around the year 40. Also on board was their dark-skinned servant Sara, who, according to legend, secured the survival of the shipwrecked by begging.
She became the patroness of the Travelers. Her relics are kept in the fortified church of Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and every year on May 24th Travelers from all over the world meet to honor Black Sara or Sara-la-Kâli. Her statue is carried in a procession to the beach and into the sea. The figure is hugged, kissed and wetted with sea water. Tough guys go soft. Children are baptized, marriages decided and the streets are full of music.
The ritual reminds us of similar rituals in India in which the goddess Durga or Kali is carried into water. And indeed: some suspect that the Sinti and Roma who immigrated in the Middle Ages from India named Sara their patroness because she resembled their goddess. We were touched by the living spirituality and the great joy.
AUTHOR
Martin Kesting lives and works in Berlin Neukölln. In his sculptures and installations, found objects and materials formed by the elements are often combined with photographs and text. He is interested in impermanence, intermediate states, traces and structures. For several years he has worked on a long term series about Berlin in which he uses, among other things, excavated WWII bomb debris. He exhibits since 2014, publishes photo books and creates jewellery. He is a member of the Berlin artist group tunnel19.
Solo Shows
"Fundamentals", 48 Stunden Neukölln, Berlin, 2014
"godfood", Fincan, Berlin, 2014
"art-e-facts" 48 Stunden Neukölln, Berlin, 2015
„New Jerusalem“ 48 Stunden Neukölln, Berlin, 2016
„The Wheel“, 48 Stunden Neukölln, Berlin, 2017
"monkey mind", with Petra Blank, Photo Book Release, Galerie Zucker, Darmstadt, 2018
„Austerlitz“ 48 Stunden Neukölln, Berlin, 2019
“The Wheel”, Photo Book Release, tunnel 19 Studio, Berlin, 2020
“Seeing Things / Lua Mater”, tunnel 19 Studio, 2021
„Tutto rotto“, with Lenka Kesting, tunnel 19 Studio, Berlin, 2022
„SARA-LA-KÂLI “, with Lenka Kesting, tunnel 19 Studio, Berlin, 2023
Awards
Urban Photo Award 2020, Shortlist
Fine Art Photo Award 2021, Nominée
Paris Photo Prize 2021 (Bronze Medal)
Urban Photo Award 2022, Longlist
Fine Art Photo Award 2023, Nominée
