Special Benefit Edition by Miya Ando - Socrates Sculpture Park

‘Four Seasons Mandalas (Under the Silver River),’ 2019
Dyed Bodhi (Ficus Religiosa) leaves, pure silver thread, monofilament on ragboard
20 x 20 inches (24 x 24 inches framed)
Edition of 12 with 6 A.P.s
For inquires please contact jw@socratessculpturepark.org

As a special limited benefit edition for Socrates Sculpture Park, artist Miya Ando has created a series of multi-hued mandalas out of bodhi leaves. Each edition is uniquely pigmented to reference the subtle yet distinct chromatic gradients of a ‘sub-season’ – the early, mid, or late part of a calendar season.

To create the mandalas, Ando bleached and dyed the leaves then used silver thread to stitch them together along their miniscule veinature – creating unique geometric patterns. Aligned at 90 degree rotations, the silver thread also suggests a compass and provides an anchor for wandering eyes.

Ando drew inspiration from aspects of Buddhism like The Buddha’s enlightenment under the bodhi tree, the belief that mandalas represent the universe, and their traditional use as meditation aids. ‘Four Seasons Mandala (Under the Silver River)’ also references Ando’s recent commission ‘銀河 Ginga (Silver River)‘ for Socrates’ summer 2019 exhibition ‘Chronos Cosmos: Deep Time, Open Space.’ A circuitous canopy of undulating chiffon suspended above the earth, ‘Silver River’ allowed viewers to look through the translucent fabric patterned with stars and see the sky beyond.

Ando’s mandalas adopt a similarly mesmerizing layering effect and relish in awe of natural phenomena. The way the rings of leaves are overlaid creates a pulsating visual effect that suggests the relational character of the universe and highlights our connection to and place within the natural world. In harmonization with her time working at Socrates, Ando has created this beautiful new meditation on how nature shapes our belief systems and our way of ordering the world.

Miya Ando is represented by Sundaram Tagore Gallery and has exhibited her work throughout the United States and internationally at various locations including the Noguchi Museum, Long Island City, NY; LACMA, Los Angeles, CA; Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY; and San Jose Art Museum, San Jose, CA, among others.