MANA ART WHAT’S IN A WORD?! This year Art Spectrum will be located in the Mana Wynwood district of Miami. A little research into the word mana turns up Polynesian and Melanesian origins. The Maori belief is that mana evokes pervasive supernatural or magical power.
With this reference material in her memory bank Rachel Thompson loosely sketched an ethereal and fluid composition for the mosaic mural she composed from tesserae (recovered and metamorphosized Styrofoam) delivered to her by her partner, Chester Perkowski. Her favorite way to work is to allow a piece to become rather than to impose a strict preconceived design. “The work deserves the right to speak with its own voice” she says. Admittedly she also referenced the works of Gustav Klimt which have inspired her for decades.
Yet there is the archetype of a woman that Rachel recognizes resurfacing in this curation of tesserae. She has painted her many times and once again this feminine voice wants to emerge. The universal symbolism of yin and yang, water and wings, seed and harvest permeate the piece and alas, Rachel pronounces that the diptych shall be named “Mana”.
Rachel often reflects on the Sanskrit meaning of the word artist being ‘one who sees things fitting together’. How fitting that the contemporary, effusive works of Art Spectrum are in the Mana Wynwood district. Through the convergence of creative souls we are destined to experience the supernatural or magical power of Mana! #floridaart