John Kluchka's 30+ years' observation of digital culture, influence, image and artifice reveals a daunting human stimulus that defines modern being. This cache developed into an artistic RESET button for transforming basic elements of visual stimuli into a meditative experience that Kluchka calls Abstract Meditation.
Process: John’s practice has built up a topology of color as living elements, each with agency and purpose. He introduces color patterns or combinations within a defined vacuum of visual silence and gives them freedom to interact and create a new synthesis. That dance is captured as a massively high-resolution color simulacra, then recorded into a deep (32-bit) color map capturing each ripple and wave made by the experience. If the moment creates a visual meditative spark, it’s recorded as an Abstract Meditation. Most compositions fail, so the process of composition and synthesis can be time consuming before recording a single new Abstract Meditation.
Visual Experience: When Abstract Meditation works are viewed from a distance, the brain tries to find something it recognizes, like shapes in clouds. But eventually our minds relax and allow the subtle or intense color dance to breathe clarity and calm into our tortured wellness. Our hyper-real visual expectations are challenged, cognitive spaces are cleared of static and distraction. Our eyes find…nothing, drawing our attention away from representation and giving us freedom of movement.
Most viewers also get up close for a moment, and they see the recorded artifacts of color’s ability to tell a story using a language we’ve never seen and get lost in a seemingly infinite complexity. You can see the map and start to understand how colors’ push and pull became, for just a moment, an Abstract Meditation.
Presentation: The Abstract Meditations are presented with a wide variety of visual media, typically with ink on a substrate like silk, aluminum or paper. Some are exclusive 1-of-1 commissions, while others are produced as textile, wall coverings or framed artworks for commercial or residential applications.
What did we just experience?
Artistically, John transforms colors’ own agency into meditative practice. Our visual minds turn away from representation and allow a bigger “picture” to exist, leading us to seek broader understanding within ourselves.
Artistically, John transforms colors’ own agency into meditative practice. Our visual minds turn away from representation and allow a bigger “picture” to exist, leading us to seek broader understanding within ourselves.
Artistic context - where does this fit in the art and meditation world?
As individual works became collections, and collections became a catalog of work spanning wide ranges of color and emotion, John termed the resulting work as Abstract Meditation - inspired by Metta Meditation and a reflection on the intensive creative process (and math) behind each piece. As examples of modern Minimalism, Abstract, Non-Objective or Op art, the work is at home in commercial, hospitality, exposition, residential, therapeutic and mindfulness settings. Abstract Meditation pieces are also well-suited to textiles, wallpapers, weavings, rugs, and framed as fine artwork.
As individual works became collections, and collections became a catalog of work spanning wide ranges of color and emotion, John termed the resulting work as Abstract Meditation - inspired by Metta Meditation and a reflection on the intensive creative process (and math) behind each piece. As examples of modern Minimalism, Abstract, Non-Objective or Op art, the work is at home in commercial, hospitality, exposition, residential, therapeutic and mindfulness settings. Abstract Meditation pieces are also well-suited to textiles, wallpapers, weavings, rugs, and framed as fine artwork.