Contemporary Mandala: New Audiences, New Forms
January 21-April 15
Emory Visual Arts Gallery
Curated by artist Julia Kjelgaard and Jacquelynn Baas, author of Smile of the Buddha: Eastern Philosophy and Western Art from Monet to Today, this exhibit brings together contemporary artists who explore the mandala form as artistic expression and as a tool for transformation and balance in our complex world. This exploration takes many forms, from redrafting traditional visual depictions to the use of new materials, to the performance body participating in the mandala form.
A mandala by New York artist and Morehouse College alumnus Sanford Biggers forms the centerpiece of the gallery, providing a dynamic space for music and dance. Surrounding this performance space are the works of artists Don Cooper, Faith McClure, Christopher McNulty, Andra Samelson, King Thackston, and Marcia Vaitsman. From transcendent abstracts to repetitive patterns, the multimedia works by these artists use the mandala and its residual power to address today’s physical, cultural, environmental, and cosmological issues.
Jerry Cullum reviewed the Contemporary Mandala Exhibition for ArtsATL.
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Mandala of the B-Bodhisattva II, 2001, Sanford Biggers with David Ellis, silkscreen on hand-carved colored rubber tiles, formica backing. 16ft x 16ft, courtesy of the artists