Gallery artist Joe Aker’s work is currently being exhibited at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in the Heights community of Houston, Texas. The outdoor installation, entitled The Dichotomy of Life, is displayed on the fences surrounding the church for accessible public viewing.
"Throughout time, mankind struggles with known forces and recurring events that disrupt our lives. The Dichotomy of Life sets these disruptions in images of doors and people at the entry to this sanctuary for peace and reflection. Created by Joe C. Aker, the exhibition arose from Aker's life experience during the Vietnam War, travel, and more than 60 years in the arts. St. Andrew's Church stands for all houses of worship where individuals and families go to deal with these shared terrors. Looking closely at the images of the people, one will see that each person is made up of smaller images that contort life. These individuals, on the surface, seem at peace with daily life activity, yet, symbolically, carry within them the burdens of life’s challenges that afflict all of us."
