Venus in Shadow World (2022)
from the composer
As I ruminated on the two Primavera paintings, by Botticelli and Von Heyl … Venus centered splendent … Venus with black star in shadow… surrounded by this specific community… the composition blossomed…
Venus in Shadow World (for solo cello)
RADICAL SELF (COMMUNAL) HARMONICS
Pitching silver dust
Into organic chord clusters
Busting its frequencies
Roiling tight
Singing Splendent Resonant
Light and its detritus
Quickening the heat
Spinning bountiful
Hashing out
Long form editions
Particles hidden essence
RADICAL SELF (COMMUNAL) FREQUENCIES
RADICAL SELF (COMMUNAL) RESONANCE
Garden dust
Cemented in rain
Tethered to this weather
Waxed into imperfect circles
Thrashed
Through foaming rings of space
The blaze-less sky
Tempered by its own inquiry
Imminent disaster
Tasking desperate communities
With impossibilities
Mixing death with laughter
Cracked rabbit skull
One way ticket without an exit
Pulled liquid mass
Storming in its own viscous remedy
Birthed out right
Folded demarcations
Ripe renderings
A smattering of blood
Origamied into histories compressed calamities
Poem by Rob Mazurek
bio
Rob Mazurek is an interdisciplinary artist who has spent much of his creative life in Chicago and in Brazil. He currently lives and works in Marfa, TX.
In all disciplines, Mazurek’s work is prolific, focused, expansive and evocative. His creative practice uses self-developed strategies and innovative technologies for composition and performance. His creative process is ouroboric; his sound work and visual work are inextricably linked and have been the basis of his varied multimedia projects since the 1990’s.
He is a respected composer, improviser and ensemble leader in the international creative music and avant-jazz scenes. Mazurek’s expansive vision and vast catalog, of over 450 compositions and 80 recordings, have kept him reshaping modern music over the last three decades. His numerous ensembles, ranging in size from duo to orchestra, include leading creative musicians from around the world.
As a visual artist, Mazurek has exhibited his painting, print, sculpture, film, video, sound and installation work since 2002. His diverse multimedia projects have been supported by major arts institutions, including the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, New Music USA, The Andy Warhol Museum, Sons d’hiver, Berlin Jazz Festival, SESC São Paulo, and Frankfurt Jazz Festival.