Filed under: Selections from the Piazza archive | Tags: archives, death, InCUBATE, jewish legend, madness, Michael Piazza, mysticism, residency
The Four Mystics
This image appeared repeatedly in Piazza’s archives. The text reads, “there is an old Jewish tradition which tells of four mystics who ‘entered the garden,’ as the trance state is called. Only one emerged in peace. Of the other three, one went mad, another died, and a third took up magic.”
Given the way he approached his artwork – a combination of modern-day mysticism, surrealism and achemy, Piazza must have related to this image. Upon seeing it, it’s hard not to wonder about oneself, especially if you are prone to fits of inspiration and other such trancelike states. Piazza seemed to be especially focused on the madness angle – he had a show called “On Preparations for Madness” and designed an ‘OPM’ logo that regularly appeared on stationery and other publications. Art and insanity go together, it’s true, but the thing is, Piazza did not go mad. He was the one that died young.
I know that’s a little dark. But this image has stuck with me ever since I saw it in the archives, I just don’t know how else to say the above, and my point is that you go into that place never knowing how it will affect you, but knowing that it will.
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
Industrial Harvest 