FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Toronto, Ontario, June 15, 2009 – Meta Gallery is pleased to present Anatomy of Being by Alex Grey. The artist’s first solo exhibition with Meta Gallery marks his first showing in Canada in over 20 years and embodies a broad spectrum of the inner and outer worlds Grey depicts through work produced between 1999‐2009. With a career going back over 3 decades, Alex Grey’s paintings represent a bold and courageous statement in contemporary art today, one where despite the collective struggle of humanity and the tremendous amounts of suffering occurring on a daily basis, good does in fact exist. And what Grey’s artwork offers is evidence – a tangible thing we can see and touch that in its silence is a potent reminder of hope and love.
In Anatomy of Being, Grey’s vision, what one New York Times critic referred to as “ … of a flawed but perfectable mankind” is dynamic in its expression, both in medium and subject. In Reading, a man and his daughter sit together, reading Blake’s famous poem The Tyger. As he speaks the words of the first line, their eyes meet on one point of the page. A golden flame burns eternal in their hearts, a reminder of the infinite love a parent shares with a child. Young and Old similarly depicts the connection shared between an infant and grandparent in what may be a very ordinary, yet very sacred moment. These depictions of what appear to be somewhat commonplace interactions within the collective experience gently push us towards contemplating, “is it possible that perhaps every moment could share this sacred quality?” Executing these works in the aesthetic style he is best known for – translucent skin revealing the precise anatomical detailing of the human biology, from inner organs to muscle structure and the lymphatic system to the bodies subtle energetic fields – Grey’s depictions of various physical and metaphysical aspects of the human form are powerful messages to consider our similarities rather than our differences, and to see ourselves reflected in others.
Grey offers other insights into more formless realms of existence with his “Being” series. Four paintings completed over a three‐year period, (‘05-‘07) each 24” x 24” panel depicts the toroidal flow of energy coursing through a somewhat mysterious yet familiar anthropomorphic expression of divinity as it mediates the life/death/rebirth cycle. The surface and contours of each “Being” differ in their attunement to aspects of particular wisdom traditions. In Vajra Being, the surface of the gently flowing form is comprised of concentric rectangles. Within the centre of each lies a Vajra, a symbol in Tibetan Buddhism that represents the power of wisdom to penetrate evil and destroy ignorance.
As aesthetically diverse as these works are, a simple message of hope, truth and beauty emerge as themes throughout these powerful symbols of unity and love.
Alex Grey was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1953. He attended the Columbus College of Art and Design for two years (1971‐73) and after dropping out to paint billboards for a year, he enrolled at the Boston Museum School for one year to study with conceptual artist Jay Jaroslav. It was there he met his wife, and collaborator of over 30 years, Allyson Grey. Their journey together as artists, and partners, resulted in Grey’s Sacred Mirror series. The Sacred Mirrors are a 21 paintings series that take the viewer on a journey through the physical, metaphysical and transcendent realms of existence. By depicting each state, the viewer is invited to see themselves as reflections of the “other”, and reflections of the divine. Inspiring a sense of profound connection and wonder, the series is the central pillar of The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, or CoSM. The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors is a registered non profit 5013(c) organization, and the Greys are dedicated to building permanent architecture inspired by the great sacred structures on earth that will house the Sacred Mirrors as well as many of Alex and Allyson’s most important works. The series was exhibited in their Chelsea, NY gallery from 2004-2009.
The Greys and CoSM have recently moved to a 40 acre piece of land, an hour and a half north of New York City. CoSM Art Sanctuary will open to the public Summer 2009, with the Sacred Mirrors exhibition opening in the Fall 2010. Compelled to make his most inspired art available to the public, Grey has contributed artwork for the rock band TOOL, reaching millions with this collaboration. His artwork over the past 30 years has been shown in many exhibitions worldwide, among them P.S.1 Contemporary Art Centre, Long Island, NY (1982), Stux Gallery, NY, NY (1985), a mid‐career retrospective at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art (1999), and Feature Inc, NY, NY (2001). His works are the subject of two books, Sacred Mirrors: The Visionary Art of Alex Grey (Inner Traditions, 1990), and Transfigurations (Inner Traditions, 2001), as well as The Mission of Art, (Shambhala, 2001), his philosophies on the artistic practice of making art and wisdom for generations to come as to why to make art in the first place. Recently, the artists’ newest book Art Psalms has just been released and is available from CoSM Press.
Anatomy of Being will be on view from June 26 to September 4, 2009. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 11-6 and Sunday from 12-5. The opening reception will be on Friday June 26 from 7-10pm. Artist in attendance. For additional information or to be put on the preview list for this exhibition please contact Jody Polishchuk at 416.955.0500 or jp@metagallery.com.
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