Damien Echols has to have the most unusual back story of any contemporary artist I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Wrongly convicted of murder, sentenced to death and imprisoned on death row for 18 years, Damien is best known as a member of the West Memphis Three, who were finally released from prison last year when their erroneous convictions were overturned. Continue reading Damien Echols Moving Forward, Looking Back At Sacred Gallery
Sacred Gallery NYC is pleased to announce: Damien Echols’ Moving Forward; Looking Back
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 5, 2013 8:00 – 11:00 PM
Artist Statement:
These pieces of art are all things I created from my cell on death row, where I spent 18 years for a crime I did not commit. During that time, I had to scavenge for any supplies I got, often bartering for them in the prison underground.
I eventually received ordination in the Rinzai tradition of Japanese Buddhism. This is the same tradition that trained the samurai in ancient Japan. It was this background which was the driving force behind much of my artwork. Most of it was the result of me attempting to turn my cell into a shrine, where I would practice meditation from 5 to 7 hours a day. Continue reading Damien Echols to Exhibit Original Artwork at NYC’s Sacred Gallery
Multi-talented and wildly controversial artist Marilyn Manson has donated one of his original watercolors depicting photographer Grove Pashley’s infamous image of Damien Echols with his hand on the glass of the prison window during a visit. This original piece will be auctioned to raise money for the defense fund of Damien Echols (who is on death row), Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. — also known as the West Memphis Three (www.wm3.org) — who were convicted for murdering three elementary school children in 1994.
Continue reading Marilyn Manson Donates Original Artwork to Aid West Memphis Three Defense Fund