This sculptural installation by Rob Shostak explores the unseen burdens, pressures and strains we and the people around us shoulder every day. As the cost of living continues to rise, even basic necessities are becoming out of reach for many. This trend has a lasting cascading effect that can present in many visible and often invisible ways.
An assembly of concrete shopping bags floats while the weight of their contents seems to stretch the vessels to their limit, but what they hold is unknown to all but who carries them.
The work is inspired by the biblical verse, “You should not have in your bag diverse weights, a big and a small.” It speaks to dealing with people with honesty and fairness. Being consistent and honourable in our actions and ethics as we navigate the world and our relationships. Perhaps through empathy and compassion, we can create ways to help support each other without necessarily understanding each other fully or as a precursor to finding common ground.
