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Art by Alex Grey

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

INDY SHOUT OUT: ONE TRU ARTIST (TRU)

Tru is a conscious hip hop artist that combines wavy beats, uplifting lyrics and a fresh point of view:


Tuesday, September 22, 2015

SOMETHING EXTRA: THE POSITIVE CREATIONS DOCUMENTARY

Check out the full documentary about Chris Dyer and his Positive Creations:

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: CHRIS DYER

Chris Dyer is a Montreal based artist whose art ranges from Visionary, Street Art and Skate Art. He is one of a small group of artists who are bridging the gap between these styles.
Chris Dyer, in front of one of his works

Dyer started doing artwork locally in Montreal, in exhibition and being frequently featured in local art zines. This exposure granted Dyer the opportunity to get his art seen globally. In 2004, Dyer partnered with Creation Skateboards out of San Francisco. Every summer since then, Chris makes a yearly trip out to the West Coast. During these yearly trips, Dyer frequently did exhibitions, and this also gave him global recognition. Dyer does shows globally on a regular basis and has visited countries such as Peru, Belgium, and Mexico. He has done live art and installations at global transformational festivals such as the Enlighten Festival in Costa Rica. Dyer has also collaborated with a number of Visionary artists including Alex and Alyson Grey, HR Giger, Shepard Fairy, and Robert Venosa. Chris Dyer Launched his brand, Positive Creations, in 2004 as well.
Art by Chris Dyer 


Aside from gallery exhibitions, skate collaborations and street art all over globe, Dyers brand creates a number of products, including hemp clothing, skateboards, hat pins, and tapestries.

In 2009, Dyer had filmed and co-directed a biographical documentary on his life and art. And in 2011, Schiffler Publications published a 256 hard cover book of his art.
Art By Chris Dyer 
More recently, Dyer has been doing live painting and Installations at festivals such as the Great North Festival in Maine and Symbiosis. Dyer also does regular workshops at Alex Grey's The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors and has an installation there as well. Dyers work is always extremely vibrant and cartoon characterized.  There is high detail, contrast and movement in his works, and they truly are Positive Creations.


Thursday, September 17, 2015

SOMETHING EXTRA: BURNER AESTHETIC IN THE MAINSTREAM

THE ART OF THE BURN: BURNING MAN 2015

Every year Burning Man hosts some of the most progressive, bleeding edge artists and designers whose art and influence reach far beyond playa. The aesthetic of this years burn teetered on the edge of mystical and mischievous. The theme of this years festival was "The Carnival Mirrors". True to the theme, the art explored the range of human emotion and contemplation with childlike wonder, and deep reflection. Each art piece expressing impossible complexity and meaning, in deep contrast with the harsh otherwise empty desert. The Burning Man festival is held in Black Rock City, Nevada. It is within the heart of the desert and far away from any city or town, or signs of humanity in general. This year, Entheo Zine explores five of the most thought provoking pieces at the event.

HYBYCOZO-"DEEP THOUGHT"
Hybycozo's "Deep Thought" project was a beautiful, intracatley crafted 3D shape constructed of sixty gold laser cut filigreed panels. The artists of the complex and contemplative refuge of sacred geometry are Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuck. The couple had a design at Burning Man last year as well. This years design crowdfunded, and each donation had a promise of a COZO gift. Many patrons who donated got to get a piece of the COZO art in the form of jewelry, art prints and miniture sculptures.
"Deep Thought" photo by Sunny Strasburg


ALEXANDER MILOV-"LOVE"
Milov's moving sculpture was one that depicted the struggle of communication beyond our limitations. The sculpture depicted two adults, constructed of metal cage structure, with their backs turned to each other in pained anguish. Within the cage person, a small child, constructed of glowing white. The two children within reached out to touch each other, and yearned to speak. Their fingers almost touching. Since the burn, this image has gone viral, and certainly will become yet another iconic art piece of Burning Man.
"Love" Unknown Photographer















"Love" Unknown Photographer














KEVIN CLARK- "MEDUSA MADNESS"
Clark's amazing and intricate sculpture was an enormous fire breathing spectacle that was simply breathtaking to behold. Playing with the themes of vanity, danger and mythos, Kevin Clark's sculpture was a grand point of interest on the playa.
"Medusa Maddness" by Unknown Photographer

MARCOS COCHRANE-"R-EVOLUTION"
Cochrane's sculpture, named Deja Solis, was the final of a three part series that was displayed at prior burns. Deja Solis is a gargantuan figure emoting different themes. The sculpture triptych, which includes the iconic "Bliss Dance" (highlighted as last years viral image from Burning Man) and "Truth is Beauty". R-Evolution depicts a women, standing tall and grounded, eye's closed, palms open, feet firmly planted in the desert. The sculpture is constructed of metal cage, LED lights, wood, mesh and fabric. R-Evolution expresses presence, mindfulness, and awareness of the moment. Also, ever so subtley, the sculpture took long, deep breaths.
"R-Evolution" by Unknown Photographer

THE DREAMERS GUILD-"THE TEMPLE OF PROMISE"
The Temple of Promise is the most sacred and reflective space at the burn. The Dreamers Guild Temple was beautifully constructed with a seventy foot archway, which winded within itself through the desert sandscape to a tapered seven foot tall end point. Within the temples shell like cavernous walls there were areas that created small private spaces and altars. From the heart of the space, opened a grand hall which contained three trees with barren branches, where participants were encouraged to affix ribbons with handwritten messages on them. At the end of the burn, the tree's were full of sentiment, blessings and humanities well wishes. 
"The Temple of Promise" by Unknown Photographer

MICHEAL GARLINGTON-"TEMPLE OF CONFESSIONS"
Garlingtons mystically grotesque temple stood fifty feet tall in stark contrast with the bleak desert that surrounded it. The construction of this temple was similar to ancient Thai and Indian temples. It was built of a mish mash of mixed media that included wood, pained panels, mirrors, paper and clay. The temple offered a dark space of reflection with small, hidden, shadowbox like area's that contained small trinkets and relics from the artists own collection. The space offered a large "confessional" area where festival goers could reflect or interact with each other and the art.

 "Temple of Confessions" By Unknown Photographer
"Temple of Confession" by Unknown Photographer
Burning Man is touted as the Festival of Festivals in the US. The art is always amazing, and usually the theme's and aesthetics carry over to "default world" after some time and adaption. 

*Contact me if any of these photo's are your work so I CAN CREDIT YOU

Sunday, September 13, 2015

THE NEW PSYCHEDELIC RENNAISSANCE

"Part of the psychedelic thing, I think, is really about self empowerment.", that quote was by philosopher and entheogenic expert Terrance McKenna. McKenna was a highly influential author and ethnobotanist in the 90's. Much of McKenna's writings and ideas have come to life now, during this New Psychedelic Renaissance.

The whole idea behind entheogenic experiences is to curate and facilitate subjective experiences. These experiences, on entheogenic substances can be used to heal and also to replace regular over the counter psychological drugs and common therapy. Since the 90's there have been numerous underground therapists and much research in to the field of natural and psychedelic healing. The studies have shown much headway, and have gained such ground that treatments such as mediated Ayahuasca therapy, Mushroom therapy, and LSD therapy have become mainstream. 

With the dawn of entheogenic therapy, the culture surrounding etheogens has become more accepted as well. Visionary art, which is an art movement inspired by psychedelia, sacred themes, dimensions, space, and feelings was born of the New Psychedelic Renaissance. Artists such like Alex Grey have spearheaded and nurtured the Visionary Art culture, and also the entheogenic culture. Grey holds workshops and teach in's about art, healing, and alternative culture. Out of this new artistic enviroment, a whole new generation of masters has been born. Abstract artists such as Stephen Kruse and Kaliptus, Futurists like Adam Psybe, and activist artists such as Linzy Miggantz and Android Jones. Visionary art also has traditionalists in its movement as well, who practice medieval painting techniques such as michetechnique, as oils. Martin Stensaas is one such artist.

                                                 Alex and Allyson Grey at COSM

The Transformational festival scene is a large part of The New Psychedelic Renaissance, as festivals such as Burning Man, Coachella and SWSX popularized the culture throughout the 90's. Since that time, many smaller, more intimate festivals have grown out of the movement. Some of the more popular festivals that practice the entheogenic and transformational culture are Sonic Bloom in Colorado, Great North Festival in Maine, Lightning in a Bottle, and the Imagine Festival. There are even smaller festivals as well, such as Dancefestopia. These festivals are great local venues to see electronic music, flow arts and live painting. Many festivals also host workshops and build within the local community through service. Some festivals host permaculture days during and after the festival, where food gardens are planted. Others host live art and art in local schools. With the festival scene becoming such a large business, psychedelic harm reduction and testing has become normal. Zendo is a harm reduction service that typically goes to festivals to help patrons and educate people of symptoms of a bad trip and provide a safe space to have a bad trip or work through strong reactions. 

Finally, a grand and diverse music culture has fostered the growth of the New Psychedelic Renaissance. EDM, electronic, and complex "intellectual" electronic music that blends many styles and genres have come out this movement. Much of the new electronic music evokes feelings and ideas. Trance, D&B, Glitch, Twitch, Ethnic, GOA, downtempo, chill have all been blended together to create an environment conducive to entheogenic experimentation as well as personal exploration. Artists such as Shpongle, Zebbler Encanti Experience, and Space Jesus typically make the festival rounds during the main Festival season, and then do club shows and international festivals as the season winds down in the US. EDM grew out of the 90's rave culture, and in to the new psychedelic culture. 
                                 Shpongle (Simon Posford) By Dylan Thomas Brooks


MAPS, which stands for Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, has stood at the front of Psychedelic research. MAPS picks up where numerous studies left off in the 60's and 70's about the effects of etheogenic drugs as healing agents. After MAPS released  their work, many other big name universities had studies as well. For example, Institutions such as MIT, John Hopkins, Yale, UCLA, and NYU have all conducted research on psychedelics, after a nearly 40 year hiatus. Psychedelic therapy has shown to useful in treating addictions, PTSD, depression and personality disorders. 

Many have described the psychedelic experience as "life changing" and perspective altering. The MAPS study, as well as other studies have proven one thing, that psychedelics, while in a mediated environment, can lead to healing breakthroughs and new feelings of empathy and humanity. The New Psychedelic Renaissances embraces the entheogenic experience, and in as such, it is creating a whole world of art, music, science and culture.