Art has the potential to restore the state of union of the experiencer with reality, dissolving the dual perception of the self and the other. This same process is exactly what happens with spiritual practices. Art exists in vibration. In all artistic manifestations the common language is vibration, the inherent form of existence of all. The artistic experience is a spontaneous recognition of oneness, becoming the same vibration out of the mental discourse.
Abhinavagupta, an extraordinary Kashmiri master from the tenth century, set the ground for understanding what is called rasa or the experience of art. It happens when the mind is totally absorbed into the object of art, in a continuous process that can only take place in the present moment and with the exclusion of everything else, making the experience highly concentrated and intense. It is a state of tasting one’s own consciousness and it is endowed with supernatural bliss.*
This intrinsic quality of art has been overlooked in the contemporary over monetized art scene. It seems like the possibility of art as an experience of joy has become less valuable than its potential to become a financial asset.
The Space Within was an exhibition created, in collaboration with Italian artist Silvia Burli, toward acknowledging art in the context of spirituality. The realization of this project brought invaluable testimonies about the meeting of spiritual practices and the creative process from the experience of the participants.