Exploring the world opened up by a work of art
This week’s showcase:
Yasser Dib
“Shaam“
Acrylic on Japanese rice paper, 7′ x 7′
Every good Mandala worth its salt (or more notoriously, sand) is an ephemeral meditative journey towards enlightenment, peace and transcendence — big concepts indeed, all in short supply these days. And numerous Mandalas also dangle an alluring sidebar fantasy of “leaving this world behind.” I’m particularly fond of these Mandalas, especially of late, as I’m feeling a strong urge to chuck the “Now” in favor of a blissed out “otherland.” Anywhere but here. Anytime but the present . . . Say Amen.
Unfortunately, “Shaam” is not a “good” Mandala as Lebanese artist Yasser Dib has turned the notion of a Mandala on its head by centering it within the visceral pain of “Now.” Surrounding the central transfixing eye and flawless circular symmetry of religious and spiritual icons, is a written diary of soul-searching thoughts and ideas, confessions, pronouncements, realizations (in Arabic) that the artist grappled with during this long meditative practice in paint, his urgent reflections on the personal conflicts of those in the region, Syria-Palestine.
It feels as if Dib’s Mandalic practice becomes a means of absolution, expiation, and diffusion of the poetry of chaos and rage swirling around the unfazed center of being — the healing source of quiet.
To be sure, this painting/diary has all the mind-numbing, time-consuming, precisionist qualities of a transcendent Mandala. This painting is meticulously built up layers upon layers upon layers of acrylic paint, until it looks and feels like tooled leather. The lines and symmetry are miraculous. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Yes, it does transfix. It does transform. It does mesmerize. But unlike other good Mandalas this one grounds me in a completely different, specific time and place. Pulling me back into the reality of my life, or even more challengingly, the ever-present pressing reality of someone else’s life.
And for good or bad, this one can’t be swept away.
Previous Featured Artwork Posts
Out of Isolation #1 – Lawrence Gipe – 04/9/2020
Out of Isolation #2 – Wosene Worke Kosrof – 04/16/2020
Out of Isolation #3 – Elena Zolotnitsky – 04/23/2020
Out of Isolation #4 – Oscar Camilo de las Flores – 04/30/2020
Out of Isolation #5 – Nikolai Atanassov – 05/07/2020
Out of Isolation #6 – Harry Carmean – 05/13/2020
Out of Isolation #7 – Chris Blum – 05/20/2020
Out of Isolation #8 – Patrick Duegaw – 05/27/2020
Out of Isolation #9 – Carlos Gomez Mojica – 06/4/2020
Out of Isolation #10 – Christie Marks – 06/22/2020
Out of Isolation #11 – John Anderson – 07/04/2020
OUT OF ISOLATION #1
Out of Isolation #1 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Lawrence Gipe, "Thames, 1946" Oil on canvas, 48" x 60", 2017-2018 While it is evident that these merry souls are not practicing proper "social distancing", they certainly do exude a familiar sense of isolation in an otherwise dark and moody time. To be more precise, Gipe's [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #2
Out of Isolation #2 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Wosene Worke Kosrof "Queen of Words II," Acrylic on linen, 25" x 20", 2017 The world according to Wosene Worke Kosrof is one of non-stop talking. Everything and everyone can't seem to get enough of the latest gossip of a thousand story tellers that fill the [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #3
Out of Isolation #3 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Elena Zolotnitsky "After the Shower," Oil on paper, 24" x 23.25" custom framed Time to reflect is an unexpected luxury of "Isolation." An expansive opportunity made possible by being forced to stop . . . then listen, look, imagine, feel . . . repeat. Until suddenly, [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #4
Out of Isolation #4 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Oscar Camilo de las Flores "El Gran General" Conte crayon on paper, 79" x 50.5" The "Big Macs" are his balls. . . . but wait there's more, much more. . . . OMG, TMI. Made you look. Too much information can be disturbing, deadly in [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #5
Out of Isolation #5 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Nikolai Atanassov "Last Days of the World" Oil on canvas, 70" x 207" Spoiler Alert! Isolation Mandate to End on "The Last Days of the World." In the Apocalypse According to Nikolai Atanassov, his painting brings all humanity together melded in a sea of vibrant Turner-esque [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #6
Out of Isolation #6 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Harry Carmean "After the Bath" Oil on canvas framed, 33.5" x 27.5" In this time of Isolation, to touch — a basic yet potent essential life force — has become fraught with hesitation, anxiety and fear. "Art is a form of contactless consolation when the most [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #7
Out of Isolation #7 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Chris Blum "Fake News" Mixed Media Diorama Framed in Box - 13.5" x 13.5" x 4.25" Art is work. It doesn't just somehow happen to us. It provides new material, new places, new paradigms with which to think — And the rest is up to us. [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #8
Out of Isolation #8 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Patrick Duegaw "The Builder Removed" Acrylic, ink, screws, and polyurethane on sheetrock with aluminum frame, 23.5" x 16", 2008 Patrick Duegaw's 2008 self portrait "The Builder Removed," is oddly prophetic, revealing just how ahead of his time he really was, and really is (mask and goggles [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #9
Out of Isolation #9 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Carlos Gomez Mojica "Dialogo Con Mis Excesos" Charcoal on canvas, 55" x 71" Coping in a time of Isolation and unease — as seen in Art. Carlos Gomez Mojica's "Dialogo Con Mis Excesos" (Dialog With My Excesses) posits as many questions as it answers. Still, this [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #10
Out of Isolation #10 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Christie Marks "Everyday India 5" Mixed media, paper bags, ink, oil, acrylic on panel, 30" x 24" "All lives don't matter." "All colors are not equal." Ah, the power of Now, that even two broken pots can be seen as an emblem of protest. You bet! [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #11
Out of Isolation #11 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: John Anderson "Untitled 1978-12" Acrylic on canvas, 60" x 96", 1978 "Cradled in deep space and warmed by the sun, from earth we see the heavens in their spectacular display. We have been nurtured here and protected by some extraordinary fate. I am in awe at [...]
