THE ANALECTS OF A DIVINE NATURE
In East Asia, calligraphy--the Way of Writing--is the most revered of artistic expressions. It is an art of movement, an art of the moment, each brush stroke an intimate revelation of the artist's true nature.
The brush reveals the artist, they say, for whether composing poetry or religious manuscripts, he washes his emotions across the paper with the lightness or boldness of his line, the fluidity of his ink, the seduction of his stroke, his balance of symmetry and asymmetry. Melancholic or lilting, with forceful vigor or quiet elegance, the artist's character is inherent in every stroke, each piece as personal as a signature, an extemporaneous and pure manifestation of his inner being.
At the tip of the brush, the individual meets the Universal: the artist distills his concentration, releases it onto the paper, giving form to the ephemeral moment. This exercise in transcendence merges image and word, mind and body, thought and action. Calligraphy means: do not hesitate, be brave with your sincerity. Thus the Way of the Brush becomes a visual quest for spiritual enlightenment, with the artist seeking to uncloak the very essence of the Self.
Inspired by Daoist philosophy and the Hindu religious epic, the Bhagavad Gita, The Analects of a Divine Nature evokes the spiritual expressionism of Asian calligraphic traditions. Using photographic means, I direct a conversation between Nature and humanity, a secret world of fabricated alphabets, forgotten scriptures and hieroglyphic tombstones.
In this world, all creatures are Haiku masters, their calligraphy delivering coded messages to our unconscious, revealing their true nature. Cherry trees, slugs, old bones and new leaves tell their own stories.
Here, transcendental worms discourse on abstruse theories, and the night skies resonate with the hum of snails laboring to translate the language of the gods. The sacred elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water narrate their legendary tales.
The Analects means to remind us that Nature writes the script for us all, and when it comes to the Big Questions, always has the final word: "Wake up!"
The brush reveals the artist, they say, for whether composing poetry or religious manuscripts, he washes his emotions across the paper with the lightness or boldness of his line, the fluidity of his ink, the seduction of his stroke, his balance of symmetry and asymmetry. Melancholic or lilting, with forceful vigor or quiet elegance, the artist's character is inherent in every stroke, each piece as personal as a signature, an extemporaneous and pure manifestation of his inner being.
At the tip of the brush, the individual meets the Universal: the artist distills his concentration, releases it onto the paper, giving form to the ephemeral moment. This exercise in transcendence merges image and word, mind and body, thought and action. Calligraphy means: do not hesitate, be brave with your sincerity. Thus the Way of the Brush becomes a visual quest for spiritual enlightenment, with the artist seeking to uncloak the very essence of the Self.
Inspired by Daoist philosophy and the Hindu religious epic, the Bhagavad Gita, The Analects of a Divine Nature evokes the spiritual expressionism of Asian calligraphic traditions. Using photographic means, I direct a conversation between Nature and humanity, a secret world of fabricated alphabets, forgotten scriptures and hieroglyphic tombstones.
In this world, all creatures are Haiku masters, their calligraphy delivering coded messages to our unconscious, revealing their true nature. Cherry trees, slugs, old bones and new leaves tell their own stories.
Here, transcendental worms discourse on abstruse theories, and the night skies resonate with the hum of snails laboring to translate the language of the gods. The sacred elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water narrate their legendary tales.
The Analects means to remind us that Nature writes the script for us all, and when it comes to the Big Questions, always has the final word: "Wake up!"
