Jesus in the loft
Mike Brieger reimagines 'Stations of the Cross' through moody, modern lens

“Jesus Christ” is usually what I say when I’m surprised, in shock or my dog gets into the garbage. It’s also the exclamation going through my head climbing up the ladder into Mike Brieger’s art studio at his house in downtown Durango to discuss his upcoming art show “Stations of the Cross,” opening Fri., April 3, at Studio &.

Aside from being a form of verbal expression, for local artist Mike Brieger, Jesus Christ is an expression of art.

When I visited Brieger’s studio in the loft above his garage, Jesus was looking at me from various angles. He was depicted on large canvases hanging on the wall and in a couple smaller paintings on the floor. The paintings were mostly in dark tones, although some had brighter accents, giving me a sense that I’d just climbed into the studio of Edvard Munch. 

The bodies in Brieger’s paintings have the same wispy vantage that made Munch’s “The Scream” popular and give a sense of dark spirituality, mixed with modern – a little like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” meets Romanticism’s “The Nightmare,” by Johann Henry Fuseli. The paintings depict the darkness and solemnity of the day, but at the same time feel light and uplifting. It’s hard to explain, but Brieger is happy to share his work with us at Studio & beginning on Good Friday, the day that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  

Brieger has been working on the 16 pieces for a year now, and my nonreligious brain was intrigued as to why.

Jesus and religion have been a part of Brieger’s life since he was a kid, he said, but the journey to where he is now – an artist of the infamous Stations of the Cross – is less religious and more spiritual. 

Brieger’s lifelong artistic journey covers the spectrum, beginning as a 7-year-old drawing biblical stories in class and growing into a self-proclaimed “teenage punk.” All the while, Brieger was always interested in churches: attending them, singing during services and, most intriguingly, their interior aesthetic. He has always paid attention to church’s depictions of the Stations of the Cross but didn’t think to actually draw them until last year. 

“This kind of snuck up on me. I was just doing drawings of a Station or two. I thought it was cool, you know?” Brieger said. 

He showed me his first sketch, which was really good but very different from his final product that will be on display at Studio &. The original was colorful and almost cartoonish, and after he drew that first one, Brieger started sketching more. Soon he’d painted all 14, plus two extras.

Walking into his studio as an agnostic, I had to ask, what are Stations of the Cross? 

Well-known in the Christian world, and specifically among Catholics, they are the separate “scenes” of the day Jesus was hung on the cross and crucified. The 14 Stations are subsequent moments, from his condemnation to the long, grueling walk carrying the cross to his ultimate death. 

Brieger doesn’t mean for the art show to be so heavy, but he does hope to convey the message of suffering.

“It’s like redemptive suffering. You suffer for other people. It’s a way to clean yourself spiritually when you suffer,” Brieger said. 

As Brieger leaned into the notion of cleansing through suffering, he said he also became closer to Jesus and became more empathetic toward humankind. 

He began hearing stories of people’s personal spiritual experiences with seeing images of Jesus, many times in moments of struggle. Recently, Brieger said he looked out the window and saw the face of Jesus in a nearby tree.

“It was really cool. And I took it (as Jesus saying) ‘You’re doing good’ … I got a little feeling like an ‘attaboy,’” Brieger said. 

He said it felt like Jesus was giving him a thumbs up to the work he is doing, which Brieger said is important because he is aware of religious blasphemy or potentially using the subject in vain.

He himself used to throw side jabs and jokes about Jesus and religion in his “punk” days. But now, as an adult, spending time meditating on the subject, going to church, learning about religions and talking to people, he knows that religion and spirituality can be one in the same. But it can also be two separate things. 

“I love churches. I love church art. I love church architecture. I love singing in church, I like going to church. But I’m not religious because of the normal system of it,” he said.

For Brieger, what’s important is the spiritual aspect and belief system that everybody is created equal. “Everybody has the same value … I believe that love is the ultimate kind of medicine and currency,” he said. “And that doesn’t have that much to do with religion. It can be part of a religious thing or not.”

Brieger said his day job as an addictions councilor brings out the spiritual connection even more. 

“When I have a client that comes in, and I talk to Jesus with them, I have no problem with that,” he said. 

Addiction counseling also helps Brieger reflect on the idea of suffering and cleansing – the theme of his upcoming show and maybe why he takes a special interest in both. 

For the show, Studio & will blend the dark, heavy tones of Jesus’ last day with the cheekiness the studio is known for. In addition to Brieger’s 16 pieces, there will also be a temporary “gift shop” mimicking real church gift shops (yes, this is a thing) where Brieger will have smaller, more “fun” biblical paintings, drawings and knickknacks like small crosses that he metalsmithed as well as items from other artists.

Brieger said the gift shop is meant to serve as a counterbalance to the darker themes of the paintings.

“It’s a difficult subject … I think for most people, they’re probably like, ‘Oh man, this is some heavy sh*t,” Brieger said of the show. 

But above all, Brieger said he wants to convey the message of joy and gratitude. “(Jesus) came down and suffered for the well-being of others. It’s a joy, you know?” he said.

Brieger’s ‘Stations of the Cross’ will be on display through Sun., April 12, with an artist talk at 2 p.m. on the closing day.