The Maliotis Cultural Center is pleased to present Saint Francis in Ecstasy Contemplative Space, a new exhibition by painter Despina K. Cushing that invites viewers into a sanctuary of stillness, presence, and transformation. Deeply inspired by contemplative spaces such as the Rothko Chapel in Houston, the Windhover Contemplative Center at Stanford, and Sean Scully’s installation at the Chapel of Santa Cecilia at Montserrat Abbey in Spain, Despina K. Cushing’s work reflects her vision to create environments where painting becomes a medium for dissolving boundaries—between self and world.
This contemplative installation consists of two paintings inspired by Giovanni Bellini’s 15th-century Saint Francis in Ecstasy at The Frick Collection. While the title of Bellini’s painting served as inspiration, Despina K. Cushing’s work emerged intuitively—any symbolism was never intentionally planned. Only after completing Saint Francis in Ecstasy did she realize that the saint was represented not by a figure, but by a simple hut, enveloped in a luminous crimson sky—Saint Francis…in ecstasy. In the second painting, Saint Francis, the saint is so fully in ecstasy that he has dissolved completely into the landscape. He is the sky, the earth, the mountain, the field, the air.
This exhibition marks the beginning of a larger vision for Despina K. Cushing—one that reimagines painting not only as image but as a site: a contemplative structure in which time, space, and presence converge. Echoing the spirit of sacred sanctuaries, the installation invites viewers into a space for reflection, communion, and the dissolving of boundaries between self and world.
“In her distinct style, the artist has masterfully layered color on surfaces that draw you in so intensely it feels magnetic.” -Tiffany M. Apostolou
An accompanying essay by writer Tiffany M. Apostolou offers further insights into the work and can be read in its entirety here.
The Saint Francis in Ecstasy Contemplative Space will be on view at the Maliotis Cultural Center in Brookline, MA, from May 9 through September 30, 2025.
