iamjeffcompton - the currated work of jeff compton

From the show catalog:

Spiritus Harmoniae is a subtle attempt to invite a fleeting glimpse of the divine. It’s impulse within held two personal truths for me. That the most everyday of experiences hold profound meaning, and that if one is open to them they will see them in all things. I once read an anecdote told of Martin Buber that his philosophy was catalyzed by an encounter with a piece of mica on a stroll in the sun. This fragment of rock had suddenly revealed to him the presence of divine creation woven in all the connected universe. I wanted, in a small way like the shining stone on path, to prepare works within a space that may allow something unexpected to reveal itself.

I. The Shows History

This small but calibrated group of images found their origin in a show that nearly happened early last year. Though that show never emerged, the energy carried itself into the collaboration with Ibiza Cafe that resulted in my first solo show, A Clear Spring, A Quiet Snow, that ran from July of 2024 through October 2024 (and then some).

In preparing this current show, I found myself returning to the exhibit that never happened. The initial concept was to bring the images together to create a conversational energy between the work and the audience. I had toyed in creating oppositional energies that may at once be calming and then more frenetic, creating a dynamic three point encounter.

In rethinking this show for the Gallery at Ibiza Cafe, I had to consider what was initially intended to be somewhat confrontational in the setting of a private gallery exhibit was now to reside in a space that is tonally and functionally very different, a public cafe. Though I would have to make adjustments, this came as a welcome challenge. I had initially approached Ibiza as a place to feature my work was because of its own communal, subtle, and generous tone shared a place with my own sensibilities and desires. Feeling at home in Ibiza, the first show was an attempt to bring images that could blend into the space, all the while representing the authentic nature of my own work. In this show, I wanted to bring something additional that may respectfully alter the environment.

II. Sanctifying The Space

Conceptually, I shifted the focal point between the confrontational dialog of the initial show to creating instead a kind of ring that may encircle the space and catalyze the room with a resonant quality. The works would then ring out into the center of the communal room creating a harmonious tone like a bell rung out in a ceremonial space. I treated each image like its own note within a sounded chord, each image playing its own part towards the whole.

Though the treatment of each image took inspiration from sacred objects and religious totems, I wanted neither to be overt in treatment or subject. Instead, I presented images that only skirted the edges of explicit symbolism or hinted at something like awe and spiritual reverence. In naming the images, I tried, again, to point toward a more ineffable and layered meaning instead of specificity. Spiritual influences draw from western and eastern traditions in order to further extend both the encompassing quality of the work and my own values. Their representations are, however, taken strictly from nature, locating the titular spirit beyond the borders of the traditional ritual space. It is my hope that by conducting this spirit in this way that it may give rise in a more hushed sanctity, connecting those not expecting to find themselves moved in the routines of their day.

JC 03.2025