It’s cosmically fitting that architectural artist Khairul Izhar Husni hails from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s most populous city and home to the tallest twin buildingsin the world, the Petronas Twin Towers. As with our undying obsession to raise our homes to the heavens, Husni’s Euphoria series intersects the spiritual with the architectural.Mandalas, at their most basic understanding, are circles. But, in reality, as Husni explains can serve “as a spiritual teaching tool.” Traditionally, they’re “spiritual and ritual symbols in Hinduism and Buddhism representing the Universe.” Mandalas have a habit of making their way into every imaginable cultural device, from our stop-motion video diaries to the title of a Breaking Bad episode. They’re now overtaking architectural digital photography.
Using a simple digital camera to snap pictures of buildings, keeping an eye out for interesting lines, grids, forms, and shapes, Husni then runs them through Photoshop. In the program, he repeats the aesthetics he enjoys, which comes from an influence of Islamic art, which itself can lean toward geometric design.
As Husni explains, “in various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention.” This, in turn, can lead to a sense of euphoria which has “been cited during…religious or spiritual rituals and meditation.” And, it’s where he arrived at the name for the series.Currently, the Euphoria series consists of three sets of five mandalas but Husni expects to make other sets for a whole next series. The universe awaits.
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