By James Brewer
Fascination in the furthest reaches of the universe is mounting, prompted physically in the images transmitted by the powerful new space telescopes, and echoed spiritually by those who are steeped in mystic lore.
The latter dimension glows brightly for photographer and artist Jeannette Handler who draws deep inspiration from the mandala, the ancient symbol of the cosmos in its ideal form. Her interpretations of the mandala are featured in a spellbinding exhibition that has just opened in London.
In stunning and often startling colour combinations, Jeannette sets out to express through the mandala the connection between her inner world and outer reality.
A former advertising and fashion photographer who has worked in locations including Vienna and Milan, Jeannette contemplates the mandala, a word which means “circle” in Sanskrit, as signifying the transformation of a universe of suffering into one of joy. Creating her mandala series was her way of finding peace and happiness after a difficult period in her life. The images she produced represent her meditation and self-reflection, “a deep dialogue with her soul.”
In the public areas of the Italian-themed Hotel Baglioni, which is a short distance from Hyde Park and is self-described as “the perfect blend of baroque style and contemporary sensibility,” Jeannette presents a constellation of mandalas containing within their circles her ingenious symmetrical designs. She has achieved her results by digitally manipulating her photographs to release “layers of pure energy.” Notwithstanding the vivid colours employed, her mandalas seem to bestow “a calming and healing effect” on those who view them – meaning such works could happily and gently nestle in one’s hearth and home, and perhaps be the focus of meditation for their new owners.
Jeannette’s work was introduced to guests at a private view evening at the hotel by curator and art adviser Carola Syz, who runs Carola Syz Projects and is highly regarded in London’s Italian community and in the wider cultural scene.
The mesmerising mandalas echo the sublime, the luminous in the void, abounding in a quality that shines through the polluted lights of the modern world to suggest impermanence, wisdom, compassion, inner peace, and love.
Jeannette delivers her lucid and expressive structures with panache – in the wake of savants who for centuries have sought to create ritual harmony and cultivate belief and knowledge systems.
At ease with the technical advantages of modern photography, in her career she has digitally reworked studies of nature, impressions of everyday life, the aura of orchestras and other performing arts, and the ambience of aristocratic dynasties.
Among recurring elements in her practice are notably a poetic mood and standout use of colour – one of her best-known series is Graffiti which originated in the streets of Miami’s Wynwood district characterised by some observers as unsafe. She initiated that series at a time when street art was outgrowing its rough-hewn beginnings to become more painterly and win wider approval. Since then, still in engaging form, her emphasis has moved on, to the abstract.
Jeannette’s photography has appeared in books including The World of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra — she travelled extensively with the orchestra for more than a year – and Habsburg, a European Family in the 21st Century.
Carola Syz Projects has run outstanding arts endeavours in London, working with galleries and prestigious locations in the capital including the Italian Embassy, the Italian Consulate, and Hotel Baglioni in Kensington; and advises private and corporate clients internationally.
Mandala. Photography by Jeannette Handler are on view at Hotel Baglioni, 60 Hyde Park Gate, London SW7, until April 30, 2024.
