An extraordinary exhibition of mandala artwork opens at St. Stephen's Cultural Center in collaboration with ARTROM Gallery on November 17th from 17.00 to 20.00. The evening will offer visitors an opportunity to take a journey from the birth of the symbol and its sacred connotations in Tibet, to the most contemporary manifestations of today, expressed through the animation of its digitalized form.
The symbol of mandala, in its contemporary and enlarged context, can be found in art, religion, architecture, pyscology, nature, philosophy, etc. The Sanskrit word Mandala, loosely defined, means circle or circumference. In its most original form it manifested in the three dimensional architectural structures of ancient Asian temples. In its visual form, as an archetypal symbol, Carl Jung applied it in the healing of patients, while Tibetan rituals use it as an object of meditation. Nature supplies an abundant series of examples in ordinary forms such as snowflakes, flowers, cycles of the seasons, etc. The mandala describes and stabilizes a subtle but intense connection between man and the universe. Mandala is found worldwide and belongs to no one culture, it just is.
The exhibition "Mandala, from Ancient Tibet to Today" includes five international artists, each working in a different medium and from a personalized perspective; Maestro Gianpistone, with a life-time of study and research of this symbol, along with direct experience of the cultures where it is present, opens the show with his work "Mandala", a 2m X 2m oil on canvas. Dam Chhoi Lama with his traditional works of gold and pigments on silk and paper highlights the sacred aspect of this symbol, David Genovesi transports the symbol to a more three dimensional manifestation, moving us closer to the origin of mandala, with the six foot wooden sculpture "Autumn"from his Seasons Series. Chris Flisher, working in ink and watercolor on paper takes his inspiration from an astrological context and creates works in which one feels the deep humanity of the symbol and Digital Dave expresses the element of constant transformation and its visual manifestation in highly developed digitalized animations with a soundtrack that provokes a reflective state of mind.
Honored guest speaker, Dr Polichetti from the Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale, will speak of the origin of the symbol and its cultural context, giving the viewer a clearer starting point for understanding the symbol's evolution.
Tibetan buffet and wine.
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