Zach Harris
'Karma Kloud'
Curated by Domenico de Chirico
In the manner of Kazimir Malevich, one of the pioneers of abstract art and founder of Suprematism, according to whom the point, from which everything originates, the line, and geometric shapes, transcend their traditional value as mere compositional elements, gradually assuming deeper and more radical meanings, becoming symbols of pure and transcendental art, intentionally freed from the representation of the material world, Zach Harris, in his own way, pursues the goal of reaching a new spiritual dimension through art, generating a prodigious yet highly personal visual parataxis, with a metaphysical flavor, composed of imaginative intersections that exist thanks to "the supremacy of art over the objectivity of real appearances."
Through bold symmetries, unusual geometric shapes, and patterns that are sometimes simple, sometimes extremely complex, often inspired by landscapes but especially by architecture, where liminal space stands between reality, expressiveness, and underlying meaning, Harris, with his carved and painted panels on stretched linen, reveals intricate and sophisticated worlds that are both utopian and dystopian, exuding a sense typical of the multidimensionality of lived space.
His unsettling painting style, of analytical origin, is characterized by a tangible visual complexity, an eclectic combination of different influences, and an unwavering attention to the most minute details. His works, combining elements of the secular, surrealism, symbolism, mandalas, zodiac constellations, decorative art, and sacred geometry, are often synchronically described as psychedelic and dreamlike. All these elements intertwine to create particularly elaborate compositions, where each constituent part of each painting contains, in turn, a multitude of detailed elements that frequently invite the viewer to prolonged observation, open to multiple interpretations.
Skillfully incorporating both cosmological and mythological symbols that suggest reflections on spirituality, time, and the cosmos, his psychedelic visions, karmic cosmological clouds, allegorically immerse the spectators, transporting them into a state of oblivious insight. In addition, Zach Harris uses a particularly vibrant color palette that evokes parallel worlds and altered states of consciousness, using gradients that create a hypnotic and dynamic effect. On the one hand, these bright colors recall the highly refined ornamental qualities of Persian miniatures, while on the other, the intricate hand-carved or laser-cut frames evoke the magnificent woodwork of Christian altarpieces. In this way, he creates a hallucinatory vortex between the materiality of the relief and its optical illusion, reminiscent of the radial vibrancy and spiritual dimension of Tibetan mandalas.
His syncretic art suggests timeless rituals that, whether lost or prophetic, have yet to be deciphered. Imbued with mysticism, many of his works incorporate clear references to the landscape, understood, in his case, not in a naturalistic sense but as a conglomerate of alternative universes, altered, abstract, and perpetually oscillating between the familiar and the otherworldly.
Generously influenced by early Italian Renaissance painting, by "the prince of Romanticism" Eugène Delacroix, by Pierre Bonnard’s informal and "spied" compositions, by French modernism, particularly Paul Cézanne, by the American modernism of Arthur Dove and Marsden Hartley, by Indian miniatures, by singular American artists such as Albert Pinkham Ryder, by the Flemish artist Hieronymus Bosch, and by everything that generally reflects the unique condition of each artist, their culture, and the historical context in which they work, Zach Harris’s painting style comes before us as unique, as it successfully blends a vast range of artistic and cultural influences into works that are as complex as they are fascinating, marked by an undeniable and pervasive spiritual force that, like a great cloud, is always ready to envelop us. And so, through harmony, refined details, and a symbolic use of space and color, as well as a deep connection with spirituality, "Karma Kloud" presents painting to us once again as a powerful tool that allows us to breathe deeply and know ourselves, individually and collectively, exploring the sibylline architectures of human cognition, social dynamics, and the incorporeal and universal experiences that eternally define us.