Louis Markoya is a surrealist painter inspired by fractals and mathematics. As a former protégé of artist Salvador Dalí, Markoya’s interest in lenticular prints developed while assisting Dalí on 3D projects that included holograms. Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art is hosting an exhibition of Markoya’s which includes a retrospective of work since Dalí to present, including a series of paintings inspired by the pandemic and 3D holographic lenticulars.
Louis Markoya has long been interested in depth and three dimensional perception, dating back to his work with Dali in the 70s. Together they experimented with three dimensional art before the days of computer graphics and virtual reality. Markoya now works with lenticular print art, where the pieces really seem to be glowing and have a depth without the need of any additional technology.
Louis Markoya’s Inspiration and Far Reaching Thoughts
Spatial was lucky enough to get a private tour of Markoya’s gallery in Spatial. He spoke about different themes and inspirations for the “story arches” of his works. During the covid-19 pandemic he created beautiful works that reflect on the isolation and humanness of the virus. The pieces evoke oneness and make a call for compassion.
“If the virus taught us anything it’s that we are all made of the same finite material, the virus didn’t care about our religion or our politics, or our borders.”
Markoya uses 3D Fractal art or Cinema 4D to create his work. Markoya has a very interesting perspective in regards to technology. He uses cinema 4D and then creates it in oil paints, a pseudo protest to technology being so easily accessible. As is the case with some of his works that approach the idea that “thoughts extend beyond the cranium”. He has multiple works that discuss the idea of what thoughts look like beyond the mind. We hope this trend extends to expanding the mind in Spatial possibilities.
Louis Markoya embraces VR in its ability to be accessible for many people who would never be enriched with art and architecture without this form of immersion. Extending on his works that relate to the brain and mind, he was inspired by the idea of the Uber Mench from Nietzsche. He created a fractal collection that shows what thoughts would look like beyond the normal human capabilities. He created those using very complex fractals to represent thought.
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Planning and Protecting the Museums Future
Markoya’s works are exhibited in partnership with the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at St. Petersburg College. Covid pushed the museum to embrace new technology much faster than they otherwise would have been able to. That’s where Spatial came in to not only host this exhibition, but to host their entire museum. Having the full award winning architectural model in Spatial allows them to have an accessible version of their museum for people all over the world but also helps with planning of future exhibits.
You can see the artworks and sculptures at scale in VR as if you were there, seeing the detail and even subtlest reflections. A lot of museum supporters are starting to “age out” and they are wondering what the future holds. Spatial gives them hopes for the future in engaging younger audiences and creating unique revenue streams that don’t involve attracting tourism to the physical museum.
Virtual Reality encourages visitors to embrace a different type of socialization. I love this museum for thinking outside the box and embracing technological development to share traditional arts, much like Markoya’s works strive to inspire. Mission accomplished.
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