film/digital photo collage; 10×12”
“The Social Contract poses the question of how something created to unite can morph into a tool of division. Religion, at its core, is a set of beliefs that are created by humans and form a community. It is meant to gather us, to unite us, to give us guidance and support. And still, it appears as if it has hardened. My piece asks why beliefs have become a boundary. Why traditions have become weapons. Why ideals created to foster a community are being used to justify harm. We are all human. We all have different stories, different backgrounds, different dreams, but similar hopes for our world. We all seek safety and a purpose in life. This piece confronts faith as a bridge and barrier, asking why we have allowed unity to fade away so easily but holding on to hope that it can be rectified.”
ARTIST BIO: Rowan COSGROVE is a grade 11 student at Summit Country Day School studying art under art teacher Carrie Barnett.