A Visit to the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors | Wappinger, New York |

The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors is an exhibition of the life work of Alex and Allyson Grey. This art gallery is a transdenominational church that was given a home in Chelsea, Manhattan in 2004, where it grew in popularity for some years. In 2009, the artistic partners were inspired to build a permanent chapel in the Wappinger area of the Hudson River Valley, on a 10,000 acre swath of land, where they now live permanently.  In 2013, they began fundraising to build Entheon, a 3-story, 12,000 foot gallery space, whose name means "a place to discover the creator within".   The current art gallery is housed in a sprawling guest house, and holds the individual and collaborative paintings and sculptures of Alex and Allyson, as well as many other artists in residence there. It became a spiritual mecca and public space which hosts ceremonial celebrations during the Full Moon and Seasonal Equinoxes of the year (an average of 18 public gatherings yearly), which feature music performances, live painting, art workshops, an a diverse range of health and mindfulness practices from cultures around the world.


Below are my photographs which offer a virtual tour around the 1st floor gallery.  In the central library (where the main collection is) there is ambient daylight on all sides, with reflective while walls. Some of the paintings are in a designated room, while many others are hung above fireplace mantles, bookshelves, and inside of intimate nooks. The movement of a viewer through the space is natural, and the spacious rooms allow for hundreds of visitors at a time. 


          
"One"




                     

"Planetary Prayers"



 

Cosmic Christ (right- center) 
 







Interpretations of 3 works


1. One - Alex Grey - 66 x 44 inches - oil on linen


In this painting, I see the beauty of two gazes merged sensuously in the center, but the fabric that human beings are composed of unites us all.  The shape that runs through the painting is that of a torus, a circular geometric fountain that makes an ellipse in every direction around a central axis.  The form of the human figures is morphed into the torus shape, and the torus itself is drawn as lines of fire. Between and inside of the lines of fire, there is a repetition of eyes and square portals that are  proportional to the torus, inside of which are spiral galaxies. The elements of color, form, and volume are all present in the 3-dimensional quality of the shape.  Pattern is clearly achieved in the repetition elements. The unity of the facial figures at center is what causes this piece to be so eye-catching.
I believe this is a rendering of human unity in its purest form, it is meant to show us that the energy responsible for the universe is also what we are composed of.  It tells us that love is a force with a power as fundamental as the element of fire.

2.  Cosmic Christ - Alex Grey - 50 x 102 inches - oil on wood with carved and gilded frame

This is about a current problem facing humanity, but the possibility for inheriting a new potential.  Christ, in this depiction, is a more evolutionary theme, it is the human ability to shift and steer its trajectory.  The portal sections that make up this painting depict scientific discoveries of man, our exploration of space, and our study of gravity. Classic depictions of world religions, such as the conception of Jesus Christ, make appearances, but in some depictions, an extra-terrestrial alien will take the place of popular angels and deities. 
Exchanges of economies, political representations of leaders and national struggles, depictions of population increase and environmental degradation are all interspersed with one another. Great spiritual and political leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Albert Einstein (to name a few) are quoted next to their portrait. Views of slaughter, slavery, and social pollution casting shadows over the history of humanity. A planetary spirit, depicted at center, lifts up the body of humanity, who is drowning in murky waters. Also at center, a grid of peacefully crucified human bodies wraps around the globe, out of which, at the top, the green head of a baby is sprouting, surrounded by common animals of the world, embedded in green leaves. 
On the bottom of the gilded frame, there is an inscription in Roman font that reads 

"You can never be lost.

When have you ever been apart from me?
You can never depart and never return.
For we continuous. Indistinguishable."

3. Planetary Prayers - Alex Grey - 36 x 80 inches - acrylic on wood

This painting is about our divine connection to our planet and our inherent responsibility to save it from the devastation humanity has brought upon it. A figure prays in the foreground with eyes closed, and in the background, an eye is shown at the center of a spiral galaxy, in outer space far-off. Planet Earth takes the place of the brain in the figure's head, suggested by the way that the interior anatomy of bones, muscle, tissue, and veins are visible.  In the night sky, the perspective of the moon illuminates the space in the landscape between the praying figure and the horizon. The colors are indicative of nighttime, and the texture of human flesh and bone are achieved with smooth shades of purple and blue, which softens the subject matter and eliminates the grotesque nature of seeing beneath skin.
At all times, we have a decision, to evolve or self-destruct. With the Earth held sacred in our mind, we can pray for a future for all of humanity. 
To help my interpretation, the artist provided this invocation to accompany the painting:

"May the element of space in our bodies,In our world, in our Cosmos,Be pure from the beginning and throughout all time.May the element of air in our bodies,In our world, in our Cosmos,Be pure from the beginning and throughout all time.May the element of water in our bodies,In our world, in our Cosmos,Be pure from the beginning and throughout all time.May the element of fire in our bodies,In our world, in our Cosmos,Be pure from the beginning and throughout all time.May the element of earth in our bodies,In our world, in our Cosmos,Be pure from the beginning and throughout all time.Space, air, water, fire, earth,In our bodies, in our world, in our Cosmos.Pure and clear, now and forever."






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