Alex Grey is a leading practitioner of visionary art, which attempts to tap into the metaphysical and expand awareness. He’s done this through several mediums, but he’s currently working on an ambitious project far bigger than the canvas: an entire temple. Entheon is the name of the structure Grey and wife/artist Allyson Grey are currently building.
An official description offers this: “Imagine visiting Entheon, where precious paintings, drawings, sculpture and moving images resonate with your highest states of consciousness. Entheon will exhibit the finest works of the Visionary Art movement, including Alex Grey’s acclaimed Sacred Mirrors.” Oscar-winning sculptor Ryan Tottle, who has worked for Disney projects in the past, spent two years helping to transform the artist’s drawings into a 3D model.
The project’s funding comes partly from $354,917 raised through a Kickstarter campaign. The temple, currently being erected, is located in the Hudson Valley of New York, 65 miles north of NYC. “It takes a miracle of creative imagination on the part of a community to envision a sacred space into existence and that is precisely what happened,” Grey said about the project.
As of December, Entheon still required another round of funding to be finished by late this year.
With her cascading, phosphorescent figures and blended mediums, Maura Holden is one of today’s leading practitioners of visionary art. The Philadelphia-born artist is self-taught, yet utilized the techniques of past masters—particularly Ernst Fuchs, a major influence for the artist.