What makes a work of art spiritual? How do you make a building transmit the uplifting qualities of the sacred? What is the relationship between the evolution of culture and the creation of sacred objects and structures? To find out, EnlightenNext's Ross Robertson speaks with acclaimed visionary artist Alex Grey, whose intricate, expansive canvases convey the cosmic scope and spiritual dimension of human life.
Grey begins by describing his recent visits to Damanhur, an extraordinary example of contemporary sacred space featured in Issue 36 of EnlightenNext. Built into the side of a mountain in the foothills of the Italian Alps, Damanhur is the creation of a unique spiritual vision, brought to life with unparalleled levels of design and craftsmanship, and supported by an inspired and ongoing communal effort. Like the great cathedrals of old, this modern day temple to the universal sacred impulse serves as a permanent reminder of our higher purpose and untapped human potential.
According to Grey, the Temples of Damanhur and his own Temple of Sacred Mirrors in New York, serve as examples and reminder of just what's possible—even in our contemporary secular society—when people come together to create something truly meaningful and of lasting beauty.
BIO
Alex Grey is a visionary artist, art instructor, and author. His paintings, sculpture, and performances are based on his lifelong interest in the themes of death and transcendence. He studied at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio and the Boston Museum School. During this period he had a series of drug-induced mystical experiences that transformed his agnostic existentialism to a radical transcendentalism.
Grey spent five years at Harvard Medical School working in the anatomy department, studying the body and preparing cadavers for dissection. He also worked at Harvard's department of mind/body medicine with Dr. Herbert Benson and Dr. Joan Borysenko, conducting scientific experiments to investigate subtle healing energies.
Grey exhibits his work worldwide and is often a speaker at international conferences. A mid-career retrospective of Grey's work was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art of San Diego in 1999. The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in New York City, a long-term exhibition of fifty works of Grey’s transformative art, opened in 2004. Among his publications are the monograph Sacred Mirrors: The Visionary Art of Alex Grey, which has been translated into five languages, and The Mission of Art, and Transfigurations.
