Current Exhibitions
"Primordial Illuminations"
Solo Show at The Richard J. Massey Foundation for Arts and Sciences
May 4, 2015 - November 17, 2015
Recent Exhibitions & Projects
Exhibitions
Paris Art Fair, The Grand Palais, Paris, France (2014)
Revolution at Giverny: A Return to Women in Nature
Visual Art Performance
Galerie Dukan, Paris, France (2014)
Revolution at Giverny: A Return to Women in Nature
Visual Art Performance
Galerie Dukan, Paris, France (2014)
Revolution at Giverny: A Return to Women in Nature
Self Portrait as Marie Antoinette
MANA Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ (2015)
Revolution at Giverny: A Return to Women in Nature
Visual Art Performance
MANA Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ (2015)
Revolution at Giverny: A Return to Women in Nature
Self Portrait as Marie Antoinette
MANA Contemporary and The Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation, Jersey City, NJ (2012)
“The Originals” Group Show
Mixed-media Trees artwork by Tarra Bandet
Projects
2012-2018 GIVERNY COMMISSION AND PROJECT SUMMARY
Revolution at Giverny: A Return to Women in Nature
The Richard J. Massey Foundation for Arts and Sciences is supporting an elaborate 7-year international conceptual art project “Giverny: A Return to Women in Nature," which addresses the topic of women in nature throughout contemporary art and art history. The complex Giverny project is entirely under the direction of its conceptual creator, visual artist Tarra Bandet, who is overseeing all details. This multi faceted endeavor focuses on Tarra’s art performances, drawings, paintings, mixed media series, writing, curating and collaborations with other world-renowned artists such as Yigal Ozeri.
This intensive collaboration will also include Tarra working with other international visual artists and art historians in New York and around the world. The entire "Revolution at Giverny: A Return to Women in Nature" project, connected lectures, and symposium series will be beautifully documented in a book at the end of the project.
As the director and conceptual creator of the project “Revolution at Giverny: A Return to Women in Nature," visual artist Tarra Bandet has been working on the various interconnected facets in the following cities and visual art categories:
New York City, NY
Paris, France
Chicago, Illinois
Salzburg, Austria
Los Angeles, California
1. VISUAL ART DIRECTOR AND CONCEPTUAL CREATOR
2. VISUAL ART EXHIBITIONS
3. VISUAL ART PERFORMANCES
4. VISUAL ART WRITER AND CURATOR
5. VISUAL ART LECTURER
MAGNUM OPUS
The Richard J. Massey Foundation For Arts and Sciences awarded a commission to visual artist Tarra Bandet to represent the Foundation.
Magnum Opus by Tarra Bandet (2012-2015)
Mixed Media. Dimensions: 55" (h) x 89.5" (w) x 4" (d)
2012-2015 ART COMMISSION SUMMARY MAGNUM OPUS
Primordial Illuminations of Arts and Science
Created by Visual Artist Tarra Bandet
This extensive 3-year commission project is an elaborate art piece created by visual artist Tarra Bandet that symbolically represents The Richard J. Massey Foundation for Arts and Sciences, New York. Please see additional information below for a more detailed description on this extraordinary artwork featuring approximately ONE MILLION pieces of glass, shells and other mixed media materials.
Visual Artist Tarra Bandet spent over 3 years working on the entire conceptual project, conducting research about the relationships between art and science, world history and art history, securing the final design and creating the final art work. Thousands of hours were spent formulating mixed media structures, hand cutting and placing glass, collecting symbolic objects and working them into sculptural and mixed media relief forms and painting.
The following categories are represented in Tarra's Art Commission:
Magnum Opus: Primordial Illuminations of Arts and Science
Harmonious Design Elements for the Arts and Sciences
Visual Artist Tarra Bandet included some of the most powerful symbols in nature and science to be represented in the commission art piece such as the symbols of primordial life, international symbols of nature in art and culture, the introduction of logical thought and complex history of numbers such as the Fibonacci mathematical sequence. The "Golden Ratio/Golden Measurements" are directly applied throughout the actual measurements in the entire composition of the commission. The Periodic Table and its various "elements" are presented in solid form. Gold (24-carat) and copper adorn and illuminate the entire composition.
Ancient symbols gathered from the Zodiac and Birthstones are combined with Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo and the emerging sciences during the Renaissance. This includes the Vitruvian Man and findings on Astronomy and the Constellations. Newton’s Law, Darwin’s Scientific Theories about Evolution, and Einstein’s Theory concerning energy and “Time and Space” are symbolic theories hidden inside the composition.
Complex Symbolism in Nature, Math, Science and Art.
The Golden Ratio
The Golden Ratio 1.619 is found in many sources in nature such as flower petals, seed heads, pinecones, fruits and vegetables (pineapples, cauliflower), shells, tree branches, faces, spiral galaxies, DNA molecules, and animal bodies.
The Golden Ratio has also been identified in many ancient structures, in particular, the Greek Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens and several cathedrals throughout Europe.
The Vitruvian Man:
Designed by Leonardo da Vinci
This universally recognized symbol connecting "Art, Math, Science and the Proportions of Man" created by Leonardo da Vinci is a symbol of Renaissance free thinking. Tarra recreated this exact symbol and introduced another layer of symbolism by introducing the human form merging into the energy of the sun. Therefore, it represents the human evolutionary path towards unity with the "Living Universe" and our ability to transcend a physical form, gravity, and "Time and Space."
Furthermore, the Vitruvian figure also represents illumination of spirit, knowledge, and power, which are symbolically reinforced in history by referring to the ancient Sun gods such as the Ancient Egyptian Sun god “Ra” or ancient Greek Sun god “Apollo."
The Four Elements of Nature:
Earth, Water, Fire and Wind/Sky
Fire: is represented by the symbol of the sun
Water: is represented by the ocean
Earth: The complex layering of ground and gems in the soil represents the intricate foundation of the earth
Wind/Sky: is implied by the movement in the waves and clouds in the sky
DNA AND THE DOUBLE HELIX STRUCTURE:
The structural form of the DNA helix fits into the implied pillars of the composition, holding up the framework of the composition and symbolically linking the 4 Elements of Nature (Earth, Water, Fire and Wind) and the Elements of the Periodic Table.
PERIODIC TABLE:
Hidden in the root system of the trees are all the elements of the Periodic Table. Each symbol is hand written on stone in gold lettering. Direct references to the Periodic Table are symbolically included through the entire composition. Some examples are gold, copper, pyrite, and other semi-precious metals.
ASTRONOMY:
In the night sky the constellations are pieced together in 24 carat gold and surrounded by thousands of pieces of hand cut glass in various blues and other colors creating a dynamic ensemble.
BIRTHSTONES AND THE ASTROLOGICAL ZODIAC:
In the Magnum Opus Composition, the 12 Birthstones and the Zodiac are represented in the sun structure encircling the Vitruvian Man. The symbolic Sun Clock addresses the theories of Einstein and transcendence of Time and Space.
Starting at the top or North and moving Clockwise in a circle, each birthstone is represented as actual gems in their raw, unpolished version:
BIRTH MONTH SIGN BIRTHSTONE
AUGUST LEO PERIDOT
SEPTEMBER VIRGO SAPPHIRE
OCTOBER LIBRA OPAL
NOVEMBER SCORPIO TOPAZ
DECEMBER SAGITTARIUS TURQUOISE
JANUARY CAPRICORN GARNET
FEBRUARY AQUARIUS AMETHYST
MARCH PISCES AQUAMARINE
APRIL ARIES DIAMOND
MAY TAURUS EMERALD
JUNE GEMINI PEARL
JULY CANCER RUBY
SYMBOLIC PLANT LIFE OF TREES & FLOWERS
The Role of symbolic plant forms and Connecting Cultures in the World
The Large TREES that are featured in the 3 panels between the DNA double helix represent ancient cultures and civilizations. They are as follows:
OLIVE TREE:
The Olive Tree is one of the most revered trees in ancient culture, tying together the histories of Ancient Egypt, Africa, Mesopotamia, East and Western Europe, the Middle East, Southern Asia, and China.
The panel with the olive tree is a symbol representing early origins of plant species. Among them are specific flowers, which have existed for thousands of years.
FLOWERS represented with the Olive Tree:
ORCHID:
Orchids have existed as a species for millions of years. There are over 25,000 documented species.
According to livescience.com
“Even dates some species of orchid to around 120 million years ago, before the continents split into their current form.”
Indigenous throughout the continents
IRIS:
The Iris received its name from the Greek Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris.
Symbol of faith, wisdom, and cherished friendship
Symbol of good news and good luck
Symbol of the French Monarchy and Florence, Italy
In the form of the Fleur-de-lis
Symbol of 25th wedding anniversary
MAGNOLIA:
An ancient Flower thought to be a species 100 million years old.
Symbol of nature itself, purity, perfection, wisdom, youth and innocence.
Symbol of good fortune and good luck
In the United States, it is a symbol of feminine beauty and strength
In Chinese Art, feminine sweetness and beauty, purity and nobility
APPLE TREE:
The Apple Tree is as ancient as some of the earliest written recordings. The apple tree appeared in the earliest Bible source, the Old Testament. The Apple Tree was considered a symbol of knowledge and was part of the story about human origin and the banishment from paradise.
The scientist Newton used the symbol of the apple falling from the tress to describe the “Law of Gravity."
Apple pie is considered one of the most cherished foods in American culture representing what is wholesome, delicious, and fondness of home.
The “BIG APPLE” is linked with New York City
APPLE Computer is considered one of the most important innovations in computer technology, devices, knowledge and communication systems.
FLOWERS represented with the Apple Tree:
ROSE:
Symbol of beauty, love, friendship and other attributions of recognition to specific people in history..
Certain roses represent people, places and climates on ALL 7 continents.
Symbol of Scientific study and Hybrid cultivation
CHERRY BLOSSOM TREE:
Cherry Blossom trees connect Asian, eastern and western cultures through a myriad of examples. In particular, India, China and Japan all have used the symbol of the cherry blossom in ancient narratives, artwork and adornment.
Japan has revered Cherry Blossoms for hundreds of years and gave Washington DC thousands of Cherry Trees as a symbol of peace, restoration and rebirth.
In American history, a legend concerning the first President of the United States, George Washington “could not tell a lie” and admitted to his father he chopped down his favorite Cherry Tree. Cherry Trees have been planted extensively in the north and south because of their beauty, ability to bear fruit and symbol of
According to many Native American cultures, the Cherry Tree is highly revered as a symbol of rebirth.
FLOWERS represented with the Cherry Blossom Tree:
CHERRY BLOSSOMS:
Symbol of rebirth, beauty, love, and New beginnings.
Symbol of Peace throughout the East and West.
Scientific study and Hybrid cultivation
CHRYSANTHEMUM:
Received its name from the Greek word “chrys” meaning Golden.
Symbol of optimism, joy
Symbol of life and rebirth
Cultivated by the Chinese for 2500 years
Symbol of the Emperor; as of the National Flower of Japan.
What is the “Golden Ratio?"
Description of the Golden Ratio according to livescience.com:
“The Golden ratio is a special number found by dividing a line into two parts so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part. It is often symbolized using phi, after the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet. In an equation form, it looks like this:
a/b = (a+b)/a = 1.6180339887498948420 …
As with pi (the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter), the digits go on and on, theoretically into infinity. Phi is usually rounded off to 1.618. This number has been discovered and rediscovered many times, which is why it has so many names — the Golden mean, the Golden section, divine proportion, etc. Historically, the number can be seen in the architecture of many ancient creations, like the Great Pyramids and the Parthenon. In the Great Pyramid of Giza, the length of each side of the base is 756 feet with a height of 481 feet. The ratio of the base to the height is roughly 1.5717, which is close to the Golden ratio. Phidias (500 B.C. - 432 B.C.) was a Greek sculptor and mathematician who is thought to have applied phi to the design of sculptures for the Parthenon. Plato (428 B.C. - 347 B.C.) considered the Golden ratio to be the most universally binding of mathematical relationships. Later, Euclid (365 B.C. - 300 B.C.) linked the Golden ratio to the construction of a pentagram.
Around 1200, mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci discovered the unique properties of the Fibonacci sequence. This sequence ties directly into the Golden ratio because if you take any two successive Fibonacci numbers, their ratio is very close to the Golden ratio. As the numbers get higher, the ratio becomes even closer to 1.618. For example, the ratio of 3 to 5 is 1.666. But the ratio of 13 to 21 is 1.625. Getting even higher, the ratio of 144 to 233 is 1.618. These numbers are all successive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence.
These numbers can be applied to the proportions of a rectangle, called the Golden rectangle. This is known as one of the most visually satisfying of all geometric forms – hence, the appearance of the Golden ratio in art. The Golden rectangle is also related to the Golden spiral, which is created by making adjacent squares of Fibonacci dimensions.
Leonardo da Vinci's 'Vitruvian Man' is said to illustrate the golden ratio.
In 1509, Luca Pacioli wrote a book that refers to the number as the "Divine Proportion," which was illustrated by Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci later called this sectio aurea or the Golden section. The Golden ratio was used to achieve balance and beauty in many Renaissance paintings and sculptures. Da Vinci himself used the Golden ratio to define all of the proportions in his Last Supper, including the dimensions of the table and the proportions of the walls and backgrounds. The Golden ratio also appears in da Vinci's Vitruvian Man and the Mona Lisa. Other artists who employed the Golden ratio include Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Seurat, and Salvador Dali.
The term "phi" was coined by American mathematician Mark Barr in the 1900s. Phi has continued to appear in mathematics and physics, including the 1970s Penrose Tiles, which allowed surfaces to be tiled in five-fold symmetry. In the 1980s, phi appeared in quasi crystals, a then-newly discovered form of matter.
Phi is more than an obscure term found in mathematics and physics. It appears around us in our daily lives, even in our aesthetic views. Studies have shown that when test subjects view random faces, the ones they deem most attractive are those with solid parallels to the Golden ratio. Faces judged as the most attractive show Golden ratio proportions between the width of the face and the width of the eyes, nose, and eyebrows. The test subjects weren't mathematicians or physicists familiar with phi — they were just average people, and the Golden ratio elicited an instinctual reaction.
The Golden ratio also appears in all forms of nature and science. Some unexpected places include:
Flower petals: The number of petals on some flowers follows the Fibonacci sequence. It is believed that in the Darwinian processes, each petal is placed to allow for the best possible exposure to sunlight and other factors.
Seed heads: The seeds of a flower are often produced at the center and migrate outward to fill the space. For example, sunflowers follow this pattern.
Pinecones: The spiral pattern of the seed pods spiral upward in opposite directions. The number of steps the spirals take tend to match Fibonacci numbers.
Sunflower seeds grow in Fibonacci spirals.
Tree branches: The way tree branches form or split is an example of the Fibonacci sequence. Root systems and algae exhibit this formation pattern.
Shells: Many shells, including snail shells and nautilus shells, are perfect examples of the Golden spiral.
Spiral galaxies: The Milky Way has a number of spiral arms, each of which has a logarithmic spiral of roughly 12 degrees. The shape of the spiral is identical to the Golden spiral, and the Golden rectangle can be drawn over any spiral galaxy.
Hurricanes: Much like shells, hurricanes often display the Golden spiral.
Fingers: The length of our fingers, each section from the tip of the base to the wrist is larger than the preceding one by roughly the ratio of phi.
Animal bodies: The measurement of the human navel to the floor and the top of the head to the navel is the Golden ratio. But we are not the only examples of the Golden ratio in the animal kingdom; dolphins, starfish, sand dollars, sea urchins, ants and honeybees also exhibit the proportion.
DNA molecules: A DNA molecule measures 34 angstroms by 21 angstroms at each full cycle of the double helix spiral. In the Fibonacci series, 34 and 21 are successive numbers.”
Curation
Chiaroscuro: Imprints and Impressions
Curator: Tarra Bandet
Florence Academy Alumni Exhibition at The Richard J. Massey Foundation for Arts & Sciences
(September 12, 2014 - October 8, 2014)
PRESS RELEASE
By Tarra Bandet
Throughout western history, many of the great masters who revolutionized art were trained by the atelier method. During the Renaissance this classical teaching approach flourished and was based on the complex imprints of learning from past traditions. The art academies of Europe continued this process of teaching throughout the centuries until it reached its height at the French Academies in the nineteenth century.
The core foundation of learning art in the Renaissance has been revived by a contemporary old master, Daniel Graves, who founded the Florence Academy of Art. His illuminated vision is teaching new generations of classically trained visual artists. The Florence Academy of Art Alumni exhibit at the Richard J. Massey Foundation for Arts and Sciences is currently showcasing exquisite art works from recent alumni and instructors. These modern masterpieces echo old master skills, techniques, compositions, colors, subjects and light with brilliant twenty-first century flair. Extraordinary observation, symbolism, narrative overtones and a complete devotion to each subject envelop the viewer into personal impressions from a rare pictorial world.
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”
-Isaac Newton
This quote is a testament to visionary thinkers such as Aristotle and Galileo, and genius artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Vermeer. It was through these giants of learning and creation that the western world was transformed into the modern age by articulately observing reality as a gateway into the imagination. For centuries, artists have proven that an art education using the classical language opens new doorways into modernism. The eternal in art never exists merely on one’s own merits, but in each attribution to a timeless lineage of artists contributing before it. The artists from the Florence Academy of Art have proven that revisiting these complex contributions through fresh ideas of a new generation will always produce another brilliant facet linking us to the rich past of great artists. New ownership of past art traditions expands one’s ability to speak a sophisticated language, without detracting from existing trends. For each generation, a new way of seeing and creating art does not ignore valuable traditions and observational skills; it honors and integrates the power and wisdom of the masters by harmonizing it with contemporary imagination and freedom of expression.
To a Renaissance artist and scientist such as Leonardo da Vinci, the critical ability to simply observe, record and process information with new thought was similar to the process of other master artists. However, Leonardo da Vinci did not separate the two outcomes of scientific and artistic observation because both derived from the same source, simply with different interpretations. This was a remarkable leap in our intelligence, ability for free thinking and new innovations. Einstein himself noted that pure, unobstructed observation enhances the imagination, the building block of original thought. Through observation, the ability to clearly see what is really in front of the viewer assists the human mind to imagine new visions with greater facility. Observing more details about any subject translates to seeing more in the mind’s eye with innovative thinking. Recording with accuracy is not a singular achievement; it is a bridge into seeing something new.
Art is proof of intelligent life and our transcendent, even mystical, connections to others. The artists from the Florence Academy of Art who are being exhibited at The Richard J Massey Foundation for Arts and Sciences share their art experience with a timeless realm. Their observations and imprints of vision capture the essence of all the senses through art. What we see and therefore experience is a precious recording of consciousness, filtered by thought, that expresses what it is to be human. Observational painting, drawing and sculpture is a unique accomplishment in human intelligence and imagination. On a flat pictorial surface, it is a vision that expresses depth and feeling in a lifeless object. A profound connection to our environment is met with a compassionate union with the subject. This pinnacle in art gives us the ability to feel without being able to touch, smell the fragrance without the scent, taste the food without it touching our lips, listen to the music without hearing the notes and see the subject after it is already gone. It is truly remarkable that Florence Academy artists beckon the viewer to deeply feel the essence of a moment, a place, even the spirit of another person fused with the artist’s voice.
Revisiting classical art foundations breathes new life into the language of contemporary art. “Chiaroscuro” is not merely the Italian word for the full range of light and dark, it is also the symbol for the primordial origin of life itself and the ability to experience the extensive range of visual language. Light is the core energy source of life on earth; we could not exist nor survive without it. We can experience observation because we experience the energy and beauty of light. An artist who understands and translates the power of light makes a quantum leap in seeing with a greater vision.
The Florence Academy of Art will bring a new renaissance in art education to the New York metropolitan area in 2015 when it opens a branch of the school at Mana Contemporary. A timeless institution will establish new roots of an extraordinary art education by nurturing classically trained contemporary artists who will forge masterpieces of the twenty-first century.
Rudolf Leitner-Gründberg: L'Art Pour L'Esprit
Curator:Tarra Bandet
PRESS RELEASE
By Tarra Bandet
RUDOLF LEITNER-GRÜNDBERG: L’Art Pour L’Esprit
Rudolf Leitner-Gründberg’s first New York show, L’Art pour L’Esprit, is a captivating ensemble of expressive paintings and art objects reflecting that life and the space we occupy is an art experience for the spirit. Enticing the viewer into a mystical milieu, Rudolf extensively uses personal symbols into a unified installation of paintings and art objects, which profoundly connects us to the experience of all humanity and the mysterious creative energy of life.
Generated by intensely colorful brushstrokes, the art surfaces and objects reveal simple, symbolic concepts intertwined with the complex layers and imprints in life meaning. Explosive and dynamic references to nature and sources of life energy such as the sun, stars, plants and flowers are elevated as iconic symbols, which feed the body, mind and spirit.
Bold, symbolic shapes and vibrating colors are balanced and sensitively placed with specific intention. Simple organic and geometric shapes are complimented by intensely layered brushstrokes radiating away and back into a field of color. This application reminds the viewer that with the structure of life, there is an explosive energy and activity breaking us out of the picture plane and spilling over onto objects of daily life. The actual picture frame does not merely frame the art, it is the art itself, the structure upon which to unify the picture plane.
Rudolf successfully expresses his own style and vision while still being connected to monumental art historical movements. The extensive use of gold connects Rudolf’s work to the major influences of early mixed media art such as Art Nouveau, while additional art techniques and color choices suggests connections to Matisse and Les Fauves, Abstract Expressionism, Color Field paintings and Combines by Robert Rauschenberg.
The simplicity of the implied sun, crown and heart are symbols meant to reveal more complex layers of truth. The radiant sun, expressed in brilliant yellow and gold, is a central force of all life energy on earth. The crown can represent many personal reactions for any viewer such as wealth in spirit, the mastery of self, and the richness of life is lived through art itself. Does the passionate heart responsible for art not motivate the most important feelings, experiences and actions in our daily lives?
The frequent appearance of brilliant light and primary colors cascades across painted surfaces as a symbolic foundation for art itself and suggests the primary building blocks of life. In several compositions, a rare ability to use white or black is activated as true colors, alive and reactive.
Indigenous to the art of Rudolf Leitner-Grundberg there is an expressive realm which causes an evolution of the heart and spirit which connects us to all things, even the table, the chair, the wine we savor over a cherished meal with family and friends. Therefore, simple objects of daily life speak a profound universal language that art and life are meant to be unified as one, not separate from our personal and daily human experience. Rudolf’s art is deeply embedded in references to modernism in art history while maintaining his own, contemporary visual language. The human intellect is fueled by the heart and spirit, revealed through the animation of expression in art. Merging of Art object and space is an artistic and symbolic union; we are not separate from our environment. Ultimately, the space we occupy and life manifests itself into the art experience.