Into the Moment
NIGEL BANKS, 2024
Into the Moment invites us to step inside time through art. By returning to the quiet question — What is special about this? — we open ourselves to the deeper experience hidden within the work.
The painting shows OK Girl tumbling out of the ordinary passage of time, accompanied by an hourglass etched with the ancient layered rocks of Punakaiki. Be it minutes, hours, or aeons, this work invites us to abandon time's relentless march and enter a space where only The Moment matters. As Einstein once reflected: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Art opens the door to that second way—where The Mystery begins to reveal itself.
Oil, alkyd, polyurethane over imitation gold leaf and spun-bonded polyethylene fabric on PVC multiboard.
Find installation info here.
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1 - Hourglass: A familiar symbol of time, marking life’s steady passage. Here, it frames the subtle transformation as the visitor moves from observing the surface of art to entering its deeper, timeless interior.
2 - Punakaiki Rocks— Laid down over countless aeons, the “Pancake Rocks” of South Island’s west coast are a symbol of geological time. Their layered forms mirror the rich depths beneath life’s surface appearances.
3 - Constellations — Southern Cross & Matariki: Markers of the ancient — reminders that all we perceive in the outer world is shaped by processes far older than ourselves. They offer deeper perspective amid the temporary.
4 - OK Girl: A symbol of openness to the present, OK Girl embodies the shift from experiencing art within the limits of time to stepping fully into the unfolding moment.