~ Chakras ~

My chakra series is an exploration of ancient, primal, human symbols and how they might be represented using a modern, light medium, i.e. digital art. For those unfamiliar with what chakras are, put simply they are thought to be non anatomical vortices of energy emanating from the body. The word chakra means wheel or disk. The construct is rooted in ancient Hindu tradition but other, more modern movements have adopted them to represent various dimensions of human existence. Some viewers may find the symbols familiar, while others may be seeing renderings of them for the first time. It is my hope that each viewer will find a universal aesthetic and balance in the images that transcends time and culture.


I took a departure from standard representation with many of them. It is easy to feel torn between artistic and academic motives, illustration and personal expression. In the West, we have a set way of manufacturing images of chakras and other mystical memes, whereas the East is more willing to accept that nature is dynamic and fluid. My rationale for using creative license came from the notion that if chakras are truly energic spinning wheels or vortices, then any standardized, static image is valid, even if arbitrary.


All of the images are simple in shape, symmetrical in placement and bold in color. The emphasis is on conveying a sense of movement, energy and radiance. I have also tried to make them look ancient and weathered, an odd thing considering they are created using software rather than stone tablets. In creating these works I imagined how it might feel to discover a cave painting, or come upon an intact piece of rare, ancient pottery sticking out of the ground. In the case of this series, the site of the archaeological dig was in my mind, and the relics are collections of pixels. In a sense, I fabricated historic pieces of evidence in an attempt to uncover what might have been buried by ancestors in the Collective Unconscious.

contact me @ lemur at lemurgallerie dot com