I recently went to an art exhibition by Taiko Chandler entitled Thoughtful Intuition. Among the many intriguing art pieces was the showstopper of an installation shown in the photo above: Practice Makes Perfect, 2023.
Taiko’s Practice Makes Perfect knocked me into a profound silence. From a distance you can see that the installation creates a gateway or window with a colorful, lace-like cloud floating in the opening, while off to the sides float other clouds, like sentries of the ether realm guarding the gateway. There was an otherworldly feel to the installation, as if it were a shrine: a shrine of the artist’s devotion and a shrine for the viewer to interpret this work of devotion.
My eyes were drawn to the center, to the framed window space, the gallery around me disappearing from my awareness. I stood before a portal surrounded by pages of hand written instructions in languages I did not comprehend and yet there was a clear invitation to pass through the opening. Go ahead, move through. Go forward—for in the open space was the promise of vibrancy and beauty that I could surely touch and wrap myself in if I stepped into the unknown.
I was reminded of the *feel* of pulling the major arcana tarot card of The Fool in a reading, always exciting as it indicates a pending venture into the unknown and the thrill of the freedom to discover.
And it occurred to me that amidst the endless gut punches of looming fascism, increasing wars, misguided righteous indignations, gender hatred, racial hatred, violence, global plagues of Covid, dementia, and meanness of spirit, of climate chaos…(pause as I gasp for breath here)…we can forget that we are in a time of The Open Window.
The portal is open. Can you see it? Do you hear the wind of possibility? Can you feel the warmth of connectedness with every living thing?
We can practice this humanity. We can fail yet keep trying as long as the window remains open. Practice makes perfect.
Taiko Chandler: Thoughtful Intuition on exhibition at Littleton Museum from September 22, 2023 through January 7, 2024. https://www.museum.littletonco.gov/Exhibits/Inside-Exhibits/Art-Gallery
Thanks for bringing attention to Taiko’s artwork, and in particular, her Practice Makes Perfect installation. Having recently lost loved ones to dementia, that art piece made me well up with intense feeling and emotions. Your writing helped me understand the larger context that explains the depth and intensity of those feelings. Thank goodness for the open windows/gates. Here’s hoping we can all keep practicing to heal this Earth, improve the lot of humanity, and spread love and peace.
Maureen, your eloquence beautifully honors the artist and her art. I actually felt as if I were there. Thank you so much! I hope you’ll keep publishing here.