Blissed Out
ATM Gallery is proud to present “Blissed Out," the second solo exhibition of work by Mike Paré. Expanding beyond the communal, counter-culture themes he explored in his Black Light Folk Festival exhibition in 2003, Paré now focuses his attention on moments of individual spiritual inwardness that made up, and continue to make up, the building blocks of the movement.
"This work is about connecting with the forces of nature," explains Paré, "The vibrations that are the heartbeat of man and of the planet. By connecting to an activity—be it crafts, drawing, meditation or dance, we are connecting to the spark of life. This is what keeps us alive and creates New Energy."
Paré's usage of what he calls "formal alchemy" allows him to communicate new meanings into works created through familiar mediums, specifically graphite and paint. Recognizable shapes, transposed above depictions of meditators, gurus, and yogis, invite multiple meanings, or levels of meanings, to be communicated to the viewer.
"Engaging with abstract forms in nature is the essential action towards reaching transcendence. Throughout history, objects such as pyramids, obelisks, rectangles and pentagons have been the subject of human worship and devotion."
It is through these forms that Paré infuses his renderings with the emotion and relevance of the era that has come to define youthful individualism, optimism, and most importantly, the defiance of social convention.
“In the past I've explored these aspects of youth culture—my own, and that of the biggest Youth Movement ever, the one in the 1960s. I've touched on the subjects of rebellion, idealism, and brotherhood. I've made works that are about the mythology of youth, including the Teenage Geography video and the black light works I've made in the past year. In all these, I've been engaged by the transcendental ideals of a group."
These ideals are timeless, omnipotent, and non-exclusive. Join us now. The movement is growing.
September 8 through October 8, 2005
ATM Gallery, 511 W.20th St. NY, NY 10011 ph: 212-375-0349
www.atmgallery.com/artwork/pare/index.html