A 2023 exhibition about what happens after a loved one dies of an overdose.
This two-person exhibition offers different takes on the ripple effects after a daughter’s death. Dina Fiasconaro’s There Is No One What Will Take Care of You complements Peter Bruun’s “Memoir Series,” which features autobiographical vignettes and expressive drawings evoking his emotional journey of loss and love, pain and healing, in the aftermath of his daughter’s passing.
“The events you put together were amazing! The conversations and connections made were so meaningful and will not be forgotten. Thank you for sharing your story and creating a space for others to process the complexity of grief and the message of hope and love.”
—Kelly Ryan, Love In The Trenches
ARTWORK
In summer 2019, with time and space to reflect in the wake of his daughter’s 2014 death from overdose, Peter began writing vignettes about his grief journey. This writing formed the basis for his “Memoir Series” drawings – nearly 40 works combining select passages with expressive abstract figuration. A selection of 16 were on view in Opioid Wakes, all of which can be seen in here.
EXHIBITION
On view in Baltimore’s Zo Gallery September 8 to September 29, 2023, Opioid Wakes featured Peter’s drawings across from Dina Fiasconaro’s There Is No One What Will Take Care of You, a 3-channel video based on aspects of Peter’s family story from the perspectives of 3 characters (father, daughter, and friend). While each artist’s work can be seen on its own, the two together make for a powerful complementary experience. As highlighted in a review of the exhibition by Doreen Bolger, “The video installation is conveying a story about loss and grief, and right across the room are the very works by the subject of that fictionalized account.”
EVENTS
In addition to two different interactive story- and art-making workshops – one open to the public led by The exhibition included two interactive story- and art-making workshops – one open to the public led by Laura Wexler, and another for people in early recovery facilitated by art therapists Sharon Strouse and Peggy Kolodny alongside David Fakunle and Debra Pierce-Fakunle of DiscoverMe/RecoverMe. For the opening, songs by Shaunielle McDonald and Simoné Speed-Hamlet and a prose piece entitled “Love Apple” by Denise Kumani Gantt set the tone for communal conversation and an evening of healing for all. For the closing, focused on resources and the importance of compassion in the face of stigma, event participants included representatives of Love In The Trenches, Youth Resiliency Institute, and peer support specialists from Bmore-Power, a program of Behavioral Health System Baltimore.
INTERESTED IN CONNECTING?
Do you have ideas, thoughts, or questions you’d like to share with Peter? Do you want to introduce yourself and your work to him? Perhaps explore a collaboration or involvement in one of his projects? Then Peter wants to hear from you.
