Bibiana Huang Matheis

The Tao of Florence / The Tao of Mary

November 29, 2023 - January 7, 2024

From the Artist

“In Chinese philosophy, the Tao is the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of yin and yang, defining the way, or code of behavior, that is in harmony with the natural order. The yin yang is a symbolic representation of the world's polarities, dualisms, and fundamental dichotomies: light and dark, male and female, life and death. It can be the sacred and the profane, the good and the bad, etc.

“What happens when a Chinese American artist, rooted in both Chinese philosophy and Buddhist thinking, and to a lesser degree in Catholicism, comes to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance and the world capital of art in the 15th century? Florence offers some of the most famous museums in the world and is one of Europe’s most important centers of Christian art. Sixty percent of the world's most important works of art are in Italy and approximately half of these are in Florence. A major portion of the art in Florence is religious in nature, but the city itself boasts spectacular culture, architecture and monuments. 

“Christian art in Florence encompasses depictions of virtually every major event in the New Testament, but I was drawn particularly to the subject of the Virgin Mary and child Jesus in many configurations. A mother figure is a central object of worship in several religions. In Buddhism, the Guanyin figure is the goddess of mercy and considered to be the physical embodiment of compassion. She is the mother-goddess who is an all-seeing, all-hearing being of endless mercy and kindness. 

“The life of the mother of Christ was exceptional: she was born free of original sin through the Immaculate Conception; she was taken to heaven after her death. Christian theologians established a parallel between Christ’s and the Virgin’s compassion. Mary is seen as the mediator between suffering mankind and Christ and she is the protectress of all Catholics. She was widely venerated, and the church sanctioned the cult of the Virgin as Mother of God. Most images of the Madonna are tender representations of the Virgin stressing her role as Christ’s Mother, showing her standing and lovingly holding her son. Symbolically, she embraces every believer.

“Like the Guanyin, the Virgin Mary represents compassion, mercy and love. Motherly symbols worldwide stand for unconditional love to all who worship her. To me, that’s the central point of most religions, and my own personal life philosophy. By depicting these aspects of Florence, I try to evoke those sentiments. I included images of Mary from various sources, but the main points that I try to show in this artwork is that it’s all about mercy, compassion, kindness and love.”

CORSO |ˈkɔːsəʊ| noun (pl.corsos) ORIGIN Italian, ‘main street’, avenue, waterway, path. from Latin cursus ‘a course’ (of a university).

ECCE HOMO (“behold the man”, Ecclesiastical Latin: [ˈɛttʃɛ ˈɔmɔ], Classical Latin: [ˈɛkkɛ ˈhɔmoː]) are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of John 19:5, when he presents a scourged Jesus Christ, bound and crowned with thorns, to a hostile crowd shortly before his Crucifixion. The original Greek is Ίδε ό άνθρωπος (Ide ho anthropos). The Douay-Rheims Bible translates the phrase into English as “Behold the man!”[John 19:5] The scene has been widely depicted in Christian art.

FLORENCE |ˈflôrəns| a city in western central Italy, the capital of Tuscany, on the Arno Rive. Florence was a leading center of the Italian Renaissance. Italian name Firenze ( The site where all the images in this exhibit originated.)

INRI abbreviation Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (a traditional representation in art of the inscription over Christ’s head at the Crucifixion).

MARY mother of Jesus; known as the (Blessed) Virgin Mary, or St. Mary, or Our Lady. According to the Gospels, she was a virgin betrothed to Joseph and conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. She has been venerated by Catholic and Orthodox Churches from earliest Christian times. Feast days, January 1 (Roman Catholic Church), March 25 (Annunciation), August 15 (Assumption), September 8 (Nativity), December 8 (Immaculate Conception).

TAO |doutou| (also Dao) noun (in Chinese philosophy) the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of yin and yang and signifying the way, or code of behavior, that is in harmony with the natural order. The interpretation of Tao in the Tao-te-Ching developed into the philosophical religion of Taoism. ORIGIN Chinese, 道 literally ‘(right) way.’

WINDOW |ˈwindō| noun 1. an opening in the wall or roof of a building or vehicle that is fitted with glass or other transparent material in a frame to admit light or air and allow one to see out. 2. Physics a range of electromagnetic wavelengths for which a medium (especially the atmosphere) is transparent. 3. an interval or opportunity for action. 4. (window on/into/to) a means of observing and learning about

About the Artist

Bibiana Huang Mathe is an artist, fine arts photographer and curator. She studied at the  Maryland School of Art and Design and at the Corcoran School of Art.  She has been active in the arts since the late 1970s. Her work has appeared in major exhibits and publications in the US and Europe, including New York City, Chicago, Beijing and Berlin. Her  work is hanging on permanent display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C.    

Huang Mathe frequently combines installation art, collage and photography. She is the  recipient of the 2015 ArtsWestchester ‘50 for 50’ Arts Award honoring 50  Outstanding artists on the 50-year Anniversary of the organization. She was also honored with the 2014 Dutchess County, New York, Executive Arts Award - Individual Artist. She is a frequent panelist in art forums, including the Hudson Valley Museum of Modern Art: Curating for the Public 2017. In 2019 she was an  artist in residence at the Fresh Winds Art Biennale in Iceland.  

She has curated a number of exhibitions in the Hudson Valley.  This includes the successful series of art exhibitions titled “Meeting Past” at the Akin Library & Museum in Pawling, New York.  She also exhibits and curates at the Mid-Hudson Heritage Center, the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon and the Hammond Museum in North Salem, New York.  For the Hammond Museum she has curated a dozen virtual art exhibitions with artists from around the world and she is widely recognized as a strong advocate for the arts in the region.  In 2020/21 her work was selected for  the prestigious exhibition Symbiosis and Coexistence: 11th "From Lausanne to Beijing". Beijing, China, International Fiber Art Biennale.