Concerning The Spiritual In Art

Andrew Humke is an American artist born in Cincinnati, Ohio, currently working between Austin and Marseille. He earned his B.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design. His practice explores motifs as historical and geographical references, using simple, universal forms, luminous color, and raw, unstretched canvases.Working from notebooks filled with sketches, Humke develops large-scale compositions, often six feet square or more, structured around ornamental and architectural archetypes—arches, vessels, palms, and columns—set in tension with organic pattern and growth. These recurring forms function as thresholds or containers, resisting attachment to any single culture while evoking shared visual languages that recur across civilizations. Color plays a central role, drawing from ancient frescoes, Mediterranean light, and the compositional clarity of quattrocento painting, alongside the quiet rigor of Giorgio Morandi.Often painted on the ground, sometimes in Provence, his works maintain a direct relationship to surface, scale, and edge. Precision, repetition, and radiance are held within raw boundaries, producing a contemplative, human-centered approach to abstraction rooted in balance, interiority, and continuity.https://www.andrewhumke.com/*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my website⁠www.martinLbenson.com⁠*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link available from website).Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for our podcast theme music!Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support⁠⁠⁠⁠

Adrian Cox (born 1988) is a painter living and working in Los Angeles, California. Cox’s studio practice involves crafting an intricate and epic mythology with his paintings. In his work, he explores questions of identity, spirituality, and our relationship with the natural world. In creating his work, he draws inspiration from art history, science fiction, mythic archetypes, and his own experience of growing up in a closeted queer family. Cox attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate studies and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors in 2010. He obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree from Washington University in Saint Louis in 2012. Cox has exhibited his work nationally and abroad, including at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, the Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis, and the Oceanside Museum of Art. His paintings have been featured by VICE, Juxtapoz, American Art Collector, Beautiful Bizarre, Hi-Fructose, Heavy Metal Magazine, and in the book Anatomy Rocks: Flesh and Bones in Contemporary Art.https://www.adriancoxart.com/https://www.instagram.com/adriancoxarthttps://coreyhelfordgallery.com/shows/adrian-cox-4/soul-making-dream-ritual-ii/Follow Martin Benson for more insights:*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my website⁠www.martinLbenson.com⁠*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link available from website).Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for our podcast theme music!Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support⁠⁠⁠⁠

Quick podcast update ! New episodes coming soon ! 🙏🏼💫*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.martinLbenson.com*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link above).Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for our podcast theme music!Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support⁠

In this episode I am welcomed by visual artist Terra Keck. Together we explored her initial interests in occult spirituality and how that began to evolve in her life and especially its influence over her art practice. We discuss the nature of awareness and the importance of cultivating a space (both physical and mental) that allows for channeling and transmission to come through the creative process. ———————————Terra Keck is an artist, curator, and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She received her MFA from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and her BFA from Ball State University. She is a partner at Field Projects Gallery in the Chelsea Arts District of Manhattan and cohosts the comedy-educational podcast “Witch, Yes!” Her work has been published in Hyperallergic, The Art Newspaper, and Oxford American Arts and can be found in permanent institutional collections in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and California. She is a regular contributing writer to Artspiel, Impulse Magazine, and Artefuse. www.terrakeck.com Field Projects Gallery https://www.fieldprojectsgallery.com/ Terra’s Podcast: Witch, Yes! https://open.spotify.com/show/1kWQXQEAkBUhLRFpvqP0EJ Follow Martin Benson for more insights:*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link above).Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for our podcast theme music!Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support

In this episode I dive deep with the incredible visionary artist and podcaster Alex Coma. Our conversation is an incredible discussion about spiritual practice, astrology, and the synchronicities to help guide us on the path of expanding our consciousness. --------------------------Alex Coma is an interdisciplinary artist exploring the complex intersections between symbolism, consciousness, and esoteric knowledge. A graduate in photography from Concordia University and former scholarship recipient at the Montreal Fine Arts Academy, Coma’s practice draws on figures like Arnold Böcklin and Carl Jung. His work navigates between visual art, philosophical investigation, and spiritual exploration, deploying a rigorous methodology that questions symbolic systems, cryptographic elements, and ritual methodologies. For the past decade, Coma has studied under Egyptian spiritual teacher Shri Amir Mourad, developing meditative techniques that enable deeper access to unconscious realms and inform his artistic practice—a disciplined inner exploration that has become instrumental in his ability to perceive increasingly more profound symbolic content and archetypal energies. His works, exhibited internationally at venues including the Visionary Art Collective in New York, the Affordable Art Fair in London and Brussels, and recognized in collections such as Colart and Ubisoft, have been acclaimed by media including CBC Arts, Vie des Arts, and La Presse. In 2023, Coma founded Roze Umbra, an initiative and platform dedicated to visionary artists, extending his commitment to collaborative artistic research that examines the subtle connections between symbolic languages and collective consciousness. As part of this initiative, he created "The Blue Hour Podcast," where he engages with visionary artists worldwide. His approach to all he does is constantly seeking a delicate balance between empirical knowledge and the ineffable mystery, offers an exploration of the borderlands of artistic creation.Websites: www.alexcoma.worldVisionary Roze Grant: www.rozeumbra.com/visionaryrozegrantInstagram:@alexcoma.world⁠@rozeumbraFollow Martin Benson for more insights:*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link above).Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for our podcast theme music!Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support⁠⁠⁠

I have a special episode for you today with visual artist Shuling Guo. In this episode we hear about her incredible story going from a very traditional, small village in Southern China, and her triumph against a very dominant patriarchal culture structure, to go to art school in Beijing, and ultimately to the United States to pursue her artistic path. We learned about her spiritual influences from the women in her life and how that set the stage for her artistic journey. -----------------------------------------Guo graduated from the Oil Painting Department of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing (B.F.A.) in 2010. She moved to the United States in 2019, and currently lives between Philadelphia and aboard the Sailing Vessel Selkie. In 2012, she had her first solo exhibition in Beyond Art Space in Beijing. Since then, her work has been exhibited in New York, Beijing, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Platform Art.Her works have been included in the permanent collections of Central Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum (Beijing) and Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (Guangzhou). Her work has been selected to appear in New American Paintings, 2025 Issue 172.Mindy Solomon Gallery Shuling's Instagram Follow Martin Benson for more insights:*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out ⁠⁠⁠my Instagram⁠⁠⁠*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link above).Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island⁠⁠⁠ for our podcast theme music!Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support⁠

In this episode I am joined by visual artist, Brent Houzenga, where we delve into his journey of discovering old photographs in a trash bin and how that changed the course of his life in profound ways. We discuss how this discovery ignited his artistic path and led him to reflect on themes of consciousness, synchronicity, and the essence of identity. ---------------------------------Brent Houzenga is New Orleans-based artist originally from Fulton, IL. Houzenga earned his B.A. in printmaking and graphic design from Western Illinois University and his MFA at the University of New Orleans in 2017. Houzenga's art has been exhibited all over the country and world, including Warsaw, Chicago, Kansas City, Washington D.C., Portland, Los Angeles, Austin, Miami, and New Orleans. Houzenga’s work resides in many private and public collections. In 2012 he was commissioned to paint a portrait for Matthew McConaughey's personal collection. He is an accomplished muralist, installation artist, and educator. Houzenga's work has been featured in publications such as Time Out Chicago, Art and Art Galleries of the South, Art+Design New Orleans, as well as the Rizzoli book Stickers: From Punk Rock to Contemporary Art. In 2021 his work appeared on the cover of the Image Comics book Primordial. In 2022 he was commissioned by Dark Horse Comics to create a variant cover for a Stranger Things story. In 2024 his work appeared on the cover of the dreampunk anthology Somniscope published by Fractured Mirror. He is the subject of the independent documentary film Brent Houzenga: Hybrid Pioneer.Brent's Website Brent's IGFollow Martin Benson for more insights:*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out ⁠my Instagram⁠*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link above).Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠The Sometimes Island⁠ for our podcast theme music!Support this podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support

In this episode, I have an enlightening conversation with artist Carla Falb, who shares her unique journey through art, spirituality, and personal growth. We explore the profound influence her father's role as a Methodist minister had on her early understanding of mysticism and creativity, and how these experiences shaped her artistic vision.-----------------------------Since 2002, Carla Falb has been creating paintings of roller coasters from images she captures on her GoPro while riding in the front car. Facing the initial fear and the adrenaline rush of the ride is infused into her work – like a 21st century J.M.W. Turner tied to the mast of a ship witnessing a storm at sea. To the casual viewer, her series depicts mere amusements, yet her underlying intention is that the roller coasters symbolize our experience in this life, with all its peaks and valleys. After the death of her mother on Christmas in 2016, her emphasis shifted to nighttime imagery with light bursting through the darkness. For Falb, the light in her paintings represents our divine sparks or higher selves, connected to one another in a universal field of consciousness. Carla Falb was raised in Philadelphia and spent her summers at the Jersey Shore. She was very close to her father, a Methodist minister, who shared his interest in mysticism with her, as well as his quirky sense of humor, love of art, music, dancing, and amusement parks! Falb received a B.F.A. from the Philadelphia College of Art and a Certificate in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1983. During that time, after learning traditional drawing and painting techniques, she created paintings based on imagery from her dreams and visions. Twenty years later, Falb returned to Philadelphia and attended the University of the Arts for her M.F.A. where she began painting roller coaster structures. In addition to her painting practice, Falb has taught art full time since 1987. She received a Dodge Foundation Fellowship for Artists/Educators that funded her travel to Southern California in 2009 to record source imagery for her Roller Coaster Series. During her visit, Falb fell in love with the area, and relocated to Orange County in 2017 where she is currently a tenured professor at Fullerton College. Exhibition highlights include solo exhibits at the Billis Williams Gallery in Los Angeles, where she is represented, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ Alumni Gallery. Her work was also featured in exhibits at the Preston Contemporary Art Center in New Mexico, and at the Noyes Museum of Art in New Jersey. The Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts recently commissioned and acquired one of her HangTime paintings, which feature the light streams of a roller coaster captured on a nighttime helicopter ride. Discover more about Carla and her work:Carla's WebsiteCarla's InstagramFollow Martin Benson for more insights:*To stay updated on the podcast and related content, check out my Instagram*To support the show and access exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (link above).Credits: Special thanks to Matthew Blankenship of The Sometimes Island for our podcast theme music!Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support

In this episode, I have a profound conversation with visual artist Kelly Joy Ladd, diving deep into her transformative journey of healing and creativity. We explore her traumatic head injury and how it catalyzed a significant shift in her life and art practice, leading her to embrace her spirituality and authenticity fully. ------------------- Ladd‘s work responds to themes of cosmic and creative mysteries, exploring inner and outer space, spiritually, the connection of all things and understanding the universe and our roles and purpose in it. Ladd’s Liberal Studies degree from the University of Central Florida allowed her to opportunity to explore the subjects that peaked her curiosity like astronomy, physics and creative writing. During this time, she also discovered eastern philosophies and meditation, which has been a staple and major influence in her life and art practice. Before becoming a full-time artist in 2019, she worked as a Disney World parade performer, music writer for HardRock.com, an editor and prop stylist for Parenting magazine and a freelance craft designer and blogger. All the while, she was developing her own style and unique techniques using paper as her main medium, due to her husband’s adverse health reactions to chemicals and paint. In March 2020, Ladd experienced a significant head injury, which greatly affected her vision. Since then, she has been retraining her brain and eyes to refocus and track again. During her recovery when she wasn’t able to read, watch TV, or look at phones and computers, Ladd used this time, without outside distractions or influences, to devote her full attention to her art and meditation practices. Her 3-D paper and mixed media work has been exhibited in the Mennello Museum of American Art and the Cummer Museum Art and Gardens. Ladd’s intuitive artistic approach aligns her with her influences transcendental artists Hilma af Klint, Agnes Pelton and Emma Kunz. Follow Kelly and her work: Artists on Couches Instagram Kelly's Instagram -------------------------- See More from Martin Benson *To stay up on releases and content surrounding the show, check out my Instagram *To contribute to the creation of this show, along with access to other exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (Link above) *Credits: Big Thanks to Matthew Blankenship of The Sometimes Island for the podcast theme music! ------ Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support

In this episode I have an amazing conversation with visual artist Jen Stark. We talk about her origins in art making and how the natural world always fascinated her from the time she was child. We discussed what sparked her distinctive style back in the early 2000s when she was studying abroad in France, and how that practiced evolved to all the powerful and innovative work she is making today. Together we dive into the power of the psychedelic experience and the potential that art has to promote healing and altered states of awareness. Jen shares about her interest in sound and installation art along with her interest in meditative practice. We discuss what’s inspiring her in the studio today and where she thinks her art is headed. -------------------------- Visual artist Jen Stark transforms complex ideas about fractals, evolution, color theory, topography, sacred geometries, and patterns of the universe into approachable and engaging works of art. Drawing upon an ever expanding use of material and technology, Stark allows her aesthetic to transcend all forms of media, ranging from paintings and sculptures, animations and installations, to interactive projections and NFTs. Over the course of her career, Stark's work has been exhibited globally, with major shows and public art installations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Thailand, and Canada. Her work is currently held in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the West Collection, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, NSU Art Museum, and MOCA, among others. Stark lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. https://www.jenstark.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jenstark See More from Martin Benson *To stay up on releases and content surrounding the show check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *To contribute to the creation of this show, along with access to other exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (Link above) Credits: Big Thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the podcast theme music!

In this episode I am joined by visual artist Emily Cheng, where we do a deep dive in what it means to make spiritual art. We talk about the shift in the art world to being more accepting of spiritual ideas at a time when it feels like our world needs it more than ever. We discuss her personal spiritual journey and how it impacted her relationship to her work. We also talk about the power of philosophy, specifically the Tao Te Ching. Emily has an amazing amount of insight and wisdom to share about the path of an artist and the greater perspectives we need to adopt in relation to our creative practices. ------------- Emily Cheng received a BFA in painting from Rhode Island School of Design and attended the New York Studio School for three years. Her solo shows in New York include The Bronx Museum, Plum Blossom Gallery, Winston Wachter Fine Art, Bravin Post Lee Gallery, David Beiztel Gallery, and Lang and O'Hara Gallery. Emily has also had solo shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCA, Taipei); Zane Bennett Gallery in Santa Fe; Hanart Gallery in Hong Kong; Louis Vuitton, Kowloon, Hong Kong; Metropolitan Museum of Manila; and the Ayala Museum in Manila, Philippines; Byron Cohen Gallery in Kansas City; The Cincinatti Center of Contemporary Art; Schmidt Dean Gallery in Philadelphia; and Timezone 8 in Beijing and Shanghai. Her work has been included in many group exhibitions such at MASS MoCA; Guangzhou Triennial, Guangdong Art Museum, China; Contemporary Art Museum at USF, Tampa, Florida; Yerba Buena Contemporary Art Center, SF; National Academy of Arts, NY; American Academy of Arts and Letters, NY; Katonah Museum of Art, NY; Hong Kong Art Centre; Sotheby’s, NY; Shanghai MOCA; Contrast Gallery, Shanghai; Juan Silos Gallery, Santander, Emily Cheng has been the recipient of several awards including the New York Foundation of the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Pollock Krasner Award and a Yaddo Fellowship. In 2007,Timezone 8 published; Emily Cheng, Chasing Clouds, A decade of studies, a compendium of studies made over the last ten years with essays by Johnson Chang and Kevin Powers. https://www.emilycheng.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDh5SE7ds3o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVtZdXpb-50&t=21s See More from Martin Benson *To stay up on releases and content surrounding the show check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *To contribute to the creation of this show, along with access to other exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (Link above) Credits: Big Thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the podcast theme music!

In this episode I dive deep with visual artist Jared Freschman about his personal spiritual journey. We talk about the importance of finding new modes of spiritual identity. We talk about how organized religion typically doesn’t create space for Queer people and how that drove him to find his own way of connecting to the mystical and magical components of life. We talk about the influence Tarot and Astrology has had on him, as well as his own Jewish background. We discuss the power of art to carve out these new kinds of spiritual spaces for people like himself. We also dive into his own personal color theory and his approach to creating these powerful, personal expressions of his own spiritual identity. --------------- Jared Freschman (b. 1996) is a Jewish-American artist based in NYC. Originally from Hockessin, Delaware. He received his BFA from Pratt Institute in 2018. Freschman also studied abroad in Jerusalem, Israel/ Palestine at Bezalel School of Art and Design. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn.Jared Freschman’s fluid compositions conjure the hidden spiritual practices of today’s queer youth. Ombré fades and jewel-tone color palettes open a door to nostalgic, dream-like memories. Freschman illustrates allegories that combine vivid flashbacks, mysticism, and hyper-feminine archetypes that own the composition. He builds a liminal space where control lies in the hands of queer individuals. Perspectives shift from first to third person, and the artist’s lived experiences mingle with those of a broader queer collective.Freschman has exhibited his work internationally at Field Projects (NYC), Eve Leibe Gallery (London), PRIOR Art Space (Barcelona), The National Arts Club (NYC), The Untitled Space (NYC), Project Gallery V (NYC), GIFC (Norway), The Museum of American Illustration (NYC), Cooler Gallery (Brooklyn), The Delaware Contemporary (Wilmington, DE), Israel Illustration Week (Tel Aviv), Gallery 102 (Washington DC), The Delaware Art Museum (Wilmington, DE). His work has been featured in Marie Claire Taiwan, Dirtybarn, Artforum, ARTpublika Magazine, AIGA Eye on Design, Working Not Working, The Drawing Stall, FORGE Art Magazine, and more. Freschman has also received awards from American Illustration & Society of Illustrators. Website: jfresch.com Instagram:@JaredFresch https://www.instagram.com/jaredfresch/ TikTok:@JaredFresch https://www.tiktok.com/@jaredfresch See More from Martin Benson *To stay up on releases and content surrounding the show check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *To contribute to the creation of this show, along with access to other exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (Link above) Credits: Big Thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the podcast theme music!

In this episode, with visual artist Fuchsia, we discuss her powerful paintings and how she explores the duality of the angelic and the earthly. We talk about her background growing up abroad in places like Hong Kong and India and how that influenced her world view. We dig into spirituality and spiritual practice and how that informs her work . Together, we also dive deep, discussing the importance of the ecological crisis and how the elevation of consciousness is crucial for humanity to move forward and heal our collective wounds. ------------------- I just finished a one-year residency at Sarabande (Alexander McQueen Foundation) in east London. Since September, 2022 I have had the opportunity to have four solo shows (one in Paris, one at the Sixi Museum in Nanjing, one at Roman Road Gallery in London and one at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery in Hong Kong) as well as take part in three group shows (including one at Christie's Lates). A few words on my practice to give you an idea... I am a mixed-media artist (under the name of fuchsia), working primarily with watercolour and oils and am interested in exploring environmental subjects through harmonious colour palettes and spiritual iconography. I create dream-like landscapes inspired by the renaissance period, Chinese landscape painting, and a few incredible 20th-century surrealist painters (Georgia O'Keeffe, Agnes Pelton...). There are a few recurring core symbols within my 'ethereal landscapes' (heavily influenced by dreams and the subconscious), including angels and pearls. Angels, having been represented for hundreds of years throughout art history, are, to me, universal symbols representing the deepest state of our core as humans - love, vulnerability and innocence - all things we regrettably and gradually let go of when entering adulthood. My paintings aim to highlight certain conflicting moral forces we face in today’s complex world, namely issues on climate change and 'spiritual famine' which seem to often preoccupy the minds of the angels. https://www.alafuchsia.com/about https://www.instagram.com/alafuchsia ------------------- See More from Martin Benson *To stay up on releases and content surrounding the show check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *To contribute to the creation of this show, along with access to other exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (Link above) Credits: Big Thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the podcast theme music!