Chaos Mandala 2 is a new colorway of my original screenprint Chaos Mandala. This print merges two seemingly contrasting concepts and aesthetics…chaos and harmony. I have always been fascinated by the cyclical chaos of posters and graffiti accumulating on the streets and then being ripped at by humans and the elements. There is beauty in the layering and in accepting that there are too many variables of push and pull for any of us to control them all. For me, the philosophy to embrace is “enjoy the ride and savor the ephemeral”. In my backgrounds I’m often trying to replicate in my studio the charm of the layering and chaos one finds on the streets but using my own patterns and collage. Mandalas on the other hand are symbols of harmony, wholeness, and the universe in its ideal form. Chaos and harmony might seem hard to reconcile, but Buddhist monks poetically address the paradox of striving for harmony but accepting impermanence and destruction with their rituals of creating and destroying elaborate sand mandalas. Obviously, the mandala is a motif and a meditation that I come back to at times to reflect on all of the symbolism mentioned above. You’ll see that this new colorway is a complementary version to a recent release as well. If you were unable to get that one, perhaps you’ll have luck with this, or maybe you want the set. Either way, thanks for the support!
-Shepard
