315 West 39th Street Studio 611

Thursday October 23th 6:00 − 10:00

Saturday October 25th 1:00 − 6:00

www.bobbivanstudio.com

917 838 7999

Artist Statement
My work is a play between the conscious and the subconscious mind. My objective is to achieve a space that is intuitively balanced in light, color and motion. One that speaks to our strength, vulnerability, and our awakening within. I am fascinated with exploring the contrasts in my paintings, the transparent versus the opaque, flatness versus density, big open, loose marks versus stillness. All these disparate and yet harmonious elements together create light and reflection on the Plexiglass surface.

Because I paint in reverse on Plexiglass, there is always an element of surprise. I work back and forth, painting on the back surface, examining the front surface, continuously creating layers of color and movement. I am inspired by the words of the 13th Century Sufi poet, Rumi, “out beyond wrong doing and right doing there is a field of luminous consciousness. I’ll meet you there.”

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A Conference—Co-sponsored with the Middle East Institute & the Institute of African Studies at Columbia University

Friday & Saturday, November 4 & 5, 2011

New York, New York — July 12, 2011 — A conference and an evening concert presented at Columbia University. It will include international scholars, from the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, who have devoted their careers to translating and interpreting the works of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi (1165–1240) and Jalaluddin Rumi (1207–1273). Evening performances will include renowned musicians such as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Salman Ahmad, and Sufi poet, Coleman Barks. Participants who attend are from both the U.S. and the international community.

This is the second, in a biennial series of conferences on Ibn ‘Arabi started in 2009. The 2011 conference will focus on the teachings of both Ibn ‘Arabi and Rumi, offering an in-depth view of Middle Eastern philosophy and spiritual thought rarely heard about in the West today.

Ibn ‘Arabi and Rumi are the two great pillars of Islamic mysticism, known as Sufism. They appeared in the same century, one from the Muslim West, the other from the East, both bringing a new vision of human potential and realization meant to inspire us and teach us to understand ourselves more deeply and expand our view of the world.

The program will include lectures, workshops, a panel discussion, and poetry readings in the original languages of Arabic and Persian and their English translation. Here are a few of the presentations being given: Moses, Ibn ‘Arabi, and the Voice of Fire; Ibn ‘Arabi: Mysticism, Lyric, and the Persian-Arabic Love Affair; and On the Seriousness of Rigorous Hilarity in the Masnavi: The Sense of Humor in Rumi’s Teachings.

Sufis in Concert

A separate event, this evening concert celebrates Sufism through the poetry and commentary of Coleman Barks, accompanied by Grammy Award winner and cellist, David Darling, the music of lead singer, Salman Ahmad of the Sufi rock group, Junoon and the dances of whirling dervish, Sakina.

Organizers:

The New York Open Center (www.opencenter.org) is a nonprofit organization of holistic learning and world culture, founded in 1984. It is the largest urban holistic center in the U.S., presenting accomplished speakers such as Karen Armstrong, Thich Nhat Hanh, Cornel West, Julia Cameron and numerous others.

The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi  Society (www.ibnarabisociety.org) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1977, headquartered in Oxford, England, with an American branch in Berkeley, CA. It is the leading organization promoting the remarkable spiritual legacy and teachings of Ibn ‘Arabi.

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