ARTIST PROFILE
“When I was young, I used to say I would rather not be smart, I’d rather be wise [and] have all the answers,” visual artist and activist Beth Achenbach comments, talking about her self-portrait. “In Search of Wisdom” started as sort of a challenge, a let-me-see-if-I-can-do-it kind of project, as she explains. The result is a simple, surreal sepia portrait in which the 42-year-old artist appears with a scarf around her neck (as if to keep her warm) and a candle holder in her hands, to light her way as she searches for answers, wisdom and Mother Nature. As audience, we can only follow in her footsteps, as she starts on a journey full of unknowns, and also promises.
