Ahimsa from the series My Mandala, 2017
Acrylic, handmade paper, sand, and mixed media on canvas
60 x 60 x 2.5 inches
Courtesy of the artist
Jamaican-born artist and Flatbush-based artist Pamella Allen is descendent of a long line of mystic storytellers. Through her work, she investigates the intersections of memory and nature, body and soul. Ahimsa is a part of her series My Mandala, in which Allen draws upon the ritual, therapeutic, and storytelling uses of the mandala — a symbol of the universe traditionally used by Indigenous cultures. She uses her own artifacts and found images in a repetitive form, combined with elements such as sand and wood to create a landscape grounded in nature. Allen employs her work to craft a place of “oneness,” inspiring peace and meditation in the minds of viewers.
