Online Group Exhibition - "Photographic Mysticism” November 2021
Analog Forever Magazine is pleased to showcase 35 images in this month’s online exhibition, entitled “Photographic Mysticism,” curated by fine art photographer and founder of Analog Forever Magazine, Michael Behlen!
Michael had this to say about this month’s exhibition:
Mysticism is the belief that spiritual truths can be known through individual insight, rather than by reasoning or study. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, there is no denying that there is a specific yet indescribable feeling that takes over when you are behind the lens of a film camera. It allows you to see the world and yourself in ways that are only revealed while engaged in the act of photographic creation.
The photographs I selected for this exhibition all display this special indescribable yet distinct feeling as you meditate on these artists’ creations. Collectively and individually they embody the process of self-discovery for both the creators and viewers that form a symbiotic relationship of joint spirituality. From large format and cameraless works to abstract and accidental light leaks, these photographs made me stop and ask myself, “Am I in a better place now than I was a moment ago before I was graced with each photograph?” The answer is an astounding yes! Please enjoy the selected images and remember to spend time with each and every photograph: don’t just look through them, take them in. You’ll be surprised by what you discover.
~ Michael Behlen
GALLERY
About the Curator
Michael is an instant film addict, independent curator, and the founder and publisher of Analog Forever Magazine. For the last 6 year years, he has become a serial community organizer involved in independent publishing projects which previously included PRYME Magazine and PRYME Editions, two enterprises dedicated to the art of instant film. Through these endeavors, he has featured and published 250+ artists from around the globe via his print and online publications.
He has self-published two Polaroid photobooks - Searching for Stillness, Vol. 1 and I Was a Pioneer, literally a boxed set of his instant film work. His latest book, Searching for Stillness Vol. II, was released by Static Age in 2019. He has been published, interviewed, and reviewed in a quantity of magazines and online publications, from F-Stop and Blur Magazine to the Diffusion Annual Journal and Fraction Magazine. He loves the magic sensuality of instant film: its saturated, surreal colors; the unpredictability of the medium; its addictive qualities as you watch it develop. He spends his time shooting instant film and backpacking in the California wilderness, usually a combination of the two.