The Tantra Series

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The Tantra Series of seven books began from a need to focus my mind and transcend the political turmoil and distress of daily life. I turned to an ancient body of symbols and beliefs that enables individuals to join with something larger than themselves, cosmic forces, primarily through meditating on images and diagrams. Influenced by travels in Asia and inspired to make art with a timeless quality, I’m exploring the iconography of Tantric art from India, as well as the myriad faces of the Buddha. What has followed is this series of devotional books that anyone can turn to for meditation and reflection.

 

Echoing the temples and spiritual artifacts seen in Asia, I’ve embellished the books with shining jewels, tiny mirrors and other findings, rich golden and luminescent surfaces, and the enameled eyes of Hindu deities. Viewers are encouraged to engage in the tactile, intimate experience of holding and reading these books. It is my hope they will  be transported by the inherent ritual of turning the pages, to connect with their own unseen cosmology.

 

Constructing these books is a deeply visceral experience, beginning with distressing the torn canvas to create pages with a textured surface. Then I apply layers of acrylic paint and gels and  cut circular voids through the pages to allow glimpses of another level. I used repetitions  of the circle, square and triangle to convey cosmic space, along with fragmented faces, eyes and spirals with jeweled surface embellishments. Finally, I wrap each book in a presentation cloth, a ritual accorded to precious objects. It is surprising to me that these small ancient-looking volumes have emerged from my exploration

 

Sas Colby, Berkeley, CA  2025