Marcella Hackbardt: True Confessionals

Begun during the 2014 Kenyon Rome program, and continuing through the Studio Art professor’s subsequent sabbatical, this series of photographs documents confessional booths in cathedrals and churches throughout numerous cities in Italy. 

An interior inside an interior, their inherent intimacy is crafted in unendingly unique styles, often made by hand by artisans. Marcella Hackbardt’s photography is informed by objects and gestures infused with symbolism. The confessional is a site laden with meaning and intentionality, such as the hope or promise of forgiveness, and the quest for understanding through the sharing of one’s life stories.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website