Alex Grey

Alex Grey specializes in spiritual and psychedelic art (or visionary art). He and his wife Allyson are the co-founders of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, a non-profit institution supporting Visionary Culture in New York City.

Grey’s paintings can be described as a blend of sacred, visionary art and postmodern art. He is best known for his paintings of glowing anatomical human bodies, images that “x-ray” the multiple layers of reality. His art is a complex integration of body, mind, soul, and spirit. The Sacred Mirrors, a life-sized series of 21 paintings, took 10 years to complete, and examines in detail the physical and metaphysical anatomy of the individual.

Many of his paintings include detailed representations of the skeleton, nervous system, cardiovascular system, and lymphatic system. Grey applies this multidimensional perspective to paint the universal human experience. His figures are shown in positions such as praying, kissing, copulating, pregnancy, birth and death.

Allyson Grey

Allyson Grey creates artwork in a language all her own. In her bio she states, "Intending to create spiritual art, I feel naturally attracted to abstraction and to a written sacred language. Every known religion reveres its holy writing. Sacred writing of all faiths, however, come into conflict through human interpretation as the written word defines the differences of philosophy and traditions, when truely the basis of all religion is unity and infinite love. In 1975 I began writing automatically in an invented or transmitted language. I do not give meaning to the symbols in my art as it is meaning that separates experience from expression. The alphabet that I use points to the notion of a sacred language beyond meaning. Some of the works call to mind the experience of seeing an illuminated text in a foreign language and religion. In recent work, I combine the icons of perfection (the Jewel Net) with the secret language, and images of chaos. Chaos in my art is the entropy of the units of spectrally arranged squares using a system of "planned randomness", allowing every spectral unit to fall apart in a variety of ways -- squares falling off of a corner or the spectral unit exploding from the center, etc. The three elements used in my work, Chaos, Order and Secret Writing, are non-literal representations of the sacred."

What is CoSM?

The Mission of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, CoSM, is to build an enduring sanctuary of visionary art to inspire every piligrim's creative path and embody the values of love and perennial wisdom. CoSM, is a 501(c)(3) organization, supported solely by charitable donations from the community. CoSM provides a public exhibition of the Sacred Mirrors and the most outstanding works of mystical art by Alex Grey. The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors recently acquired a 40 acre interfaith retreat center as a permanent home. Learn more about CoSM here.

Philosophy & The Artist's Role in Society

Grey has also made his own contribution to the philosophy of art in his book The Mission of Art (1998). Therein, he promotes the possibility of the mystical potential of art: he argues that the process of artistic creation can (and should) play a role in the enlightenment of the artist. For him, the process of artistic creation holds the potential of transcending the limitations of the mind and more fully expressing the divine spirit. He also believes that art can induce within the viewer an elevated state wherein spiritual states of being are attained.

The Mission of Art is an inspirational text for artists and anyone who has glimpsed the spiritual power of art. Alex Grey traces the evolution of human consciousness through art history, seeking the threads of art's abiding mission. He reflects on the development of his own work, including provocative performances and the profoundly affecting psychedelic experiences which lead to his unique visionary art. He explores the role of an artist's intention and conscience, and how we of the postmodern age can draw on the creative process as a spiritual path. A thought-provoking examination of how culture makes the soul visible, The Mission of Art challenges us to aim high with our creativity and bring beauty and fresh vision to our depleted and cynical world.