PHENOMENE ART IV : The Fourth Dimension, Phase 3, preface The Warrior's Recapitulation

© Lena Ghio

A few years ago I was privileged to have a profound conversation with VIK MUNIZ, a famous Brazilian artist. One of the things he shared with me was that when he looked back on his entire artistic practice he recognized that an unconscious pattern kept repeating itself and that he only recognized this action of his subconscious by reviewing his early works.

In 2003 I was creating my first OMIs. I did this self-portrait trying to imagine the impact of my hypothesis on the creative force of time and space. The OMIs are built with a specific relationship to the disposition of the planets in the solar system in relation to the earth. The theory is that what the planets design in a moment can become manifest on the earthly planes.  When I saw this image last year I was stunned! But it makes such perfect sense in explaining my perception of reality. For example I cannot retain the makes of cars, I rarely distinguish the details of the different brands but rather see them as masses that are threatening.

Today, I am within five days of completing a major planetary cycle that colored most of my adult life, a long Saturn cycle. I can finally come to terms with the meaning of this strange drawing. I did this drawing after having practiced the Mastery of the Stars for ten years. By then I applied the principles of Mastering the Stars to my art.

Now I recognize that the central character is a person that is disassociated from conventional reality and

© Lena Ghio

I understand why. As a child, I endured a lot of violence from my brutal father. I was also extremely neglected by my mother. Her explanation was that she had six children. Psychologists today have recognized that children who are systematically abused cope with the uncontrollable events by disassociating from what is happening. I remember that often when my father was battering me with uncontrollable fury I was singing a song in my head. The other element that contributes to the manifestation of this particular character is that I am myopic, but my mother categorically refused to buy me eyeglasses. She claimed I was faking myopic vision because she had gotten eyeglasses for two of my brothers, one of whom never needed eyeglasses in his life. I spent all my formative years in myopic blindness. My reality was a menacing ghost world where other children mocked me and found me stupid. I could not read facial expressions. I could not see the makes of cars as they whizzed by.

The second drawing, done the same day, is my psyche trying to come to terms with what it means to Master the Stars. How would this manifest in my human life? How would it affect my aging? The more insidious element is why on earth would I want to put myself through such an unworldly process as trying to master the whole solar system. What a testimony to the feelings of loss and inadequacy cultivated inside of me by my parents.

To be continued...

-LENA GHIO