Dolphin Brown

Mandala is a polysemic term and indicates in particular a round-shaped object, referring to the Sun or the Moon. The origin of the term is still debated today, but in any case it refers to spiritual sacredness. In Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions, the mandala is the symbolic representation of the cosmos, often created with interwoven threads on a loom or with powders of various colors on the ground, painted on fabric, or frescoed on temple walls. In the artistic research carried out by Dolphin Brown, a contemporary American artist, on the other hand, the mandala takes on new guises, inserted within a context that breaks away from religious tradition and enters contemporary video art. In her works, the mandala becomes alive and moves in space, accompanied by music and sounds that contribute to creating a meditative, calm and entirely spiritual environment around us. The multiplicity of symmetrical figures that move in front of our gaze are reminiscent of the effect created by the kaleidoscope, leaving us at the mercy of a perpetual movement that becomes hypnotic and estranging. In Dolphin Brown's artistic research, the relationship with the observer is fundamental, as the aim is precisely to create an intense bond through the visual experience itself. The artistic medium thus takes on a new value, becoming a meeting place between ancient religious traditions - which find new life and new interpretation here - and a consumerist and materialistic reality that needs to find itself in spirituality.