VITRINE
EXHIBITION SERIES
JUL 26 – AUG 26, 2024
John Singletary
Anahata
Anahata features a photography-based multimedia project by artist and scientist John Singletary. The exhibition includes highlights from Singletary’s series that has been realized as both OLED electronic canvases and as traditional pigment prints. His ethereal imagery draws upon archetypes, symbolism, mythology and mysticism to construct tableaus energized with movement within a space that registers as both ancient and eternal.
“…Sanskrit for "unhurt" or "unbroken," the word Anahata corresponds to the energy of the heart, the "unstruck sound" and harmonic resonance with the celestial realm… Abstract but familiar, this place exists within every one of us. It is the provenance of dreams, devotion, prayer, dance, music and silence…” — John Singletary
John Singletary is a photographer and multimedia artist based in Philadelphia, PA, whose installations are visual, intellectual, and sensory experiences. His work uniquely combines black and white photography, video, animation, and technology in a manner that explores our shared humanity. His work has been collected by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Center for Fine Art Photography as well as other institutional and private collections. He has exhibited at the Pennsylvania State Museum, LG Tripp Gallery, The James Oliver Gallery, The Sol Mednick Gallery and The Delaware Contemporary Museum. His work has been reviewed and/or featured in Lenscratch Magazine, L’Oeil de la Photographie, the Od Review, Movers and Makers (WHYY) and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Singletary was a featured lecturer in the 2021 Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival and is a contributing writer for The Photo Review Journal.
Clarise, video walk through of pigment print
The Dance of Hades, pigment print, 25” x 30”
Dryads, pigment print, 40” x 22.5”
Providence, detail, pigment print
Providence, pigment print, 18’ x 24”
Artist’s Statement About the Work
Anahata is a photography-based multimedia project, presented as an immersive installation on OLED electronic canvases, as well as traditional print photographs. These images are the result of an intimate collaboration between performers, choreographers, costume designers, makeup artists and technicians in which I acted as photographer and director. Choreographed movement was captured with an open-spectrum camera in a purpose-built, UV light studio where dancers performed in handcrafted costumes. The pictures are not the product of digital editing, but rather a novel photographic process that produces images true to moments in time.
Sanskrit for "unhurt" or "unbroken," the word Anahata corresponds to the energy of the heart, the "unstruck sound" and harmonic resonance with the celestial realm. Dream-like imagery steeped in archetypal symbolism, mythology and mysticism directs a narrative that transports the viewer to an ancient, eternal place. Abstract but familiar, this place exists within every one of us. It is the provenance of dreams, devotion, prayer, dance, music and silence. This cocoon-like web connects us through our stories, journeys, compassion and grace. Anahata explores human relationships and their connection to the divine. Whether experienced as a sanctuary or celebration of diversity in relationships, the images in Anahata attempt to connect to a universal and ageless divinity. When modern society is becoming precariously polarized and divided by sanctimonious tribal ideologies, I hope that my work can bridge some of the divides in our innate connection.