Spiral of Time. 8207 & Bridge over Moon
Grandiose Artworks that make you feel free.
Monumental paintings with a height of about 6 meters and a base of 3.5 meters. Each artwork consists of three equal pieces, each part having a height of 1.95 meters and a base of 3.5 meters. The frame on which the linen is stretched is made of aluminum.
Mega Masterpieces
Within the expansive body of work of Edi Apostu’s “Holotropic Art,” his “Mega Masterpieces” stand as monumental scientific and spiritual artifacts. These large-scale works, exemplified by the Spiral of Time. 8207 and Bridge over Moon are not merely an escalation in size but represent a heightened level of intentionality in the artist’s methodology. They function as immersive environments designed to facilitate a deeper transpersonal experience for the viewer. A scientific analysis of these pieces reveals their role as complex data records and powerful psychological tools, pushing the boundaries of art’s capacity to document and influence human consciousness.
Spiral of Time. 8207 is perhaps the quintessential example of this scientific rigor. The numerical suffix, 8207, which signifies the number of distinct chromatic shades within the painting, transforms the artwork from a mere canvas into a quantitative study of color and its psychological impact. The sheer density and complexity of the color relationships are a challenge to the human perceptual system. From a neuroaesthetic perspective, this intricate chromatic variability is designed to overwhelm the brain’s typical pattern-seeking functions, forcing a surrender to pure visual information. The central spiral form, a universal archetype, serves as a symbolic anchor for this sensory overload. It represents the cyclical nature of existence and the journey inward, mirroring the cyclical processes of meditation. The scientific function of this piece is twofold: to document a state of consciousness so nuanced it requires thousands of data points (colors) to express, and to induce a state of sensory immersion that can lead the viewer toward a meditative, non-linear experience of time.
Bridge over Moon, while sharing the same foundational methodology, operates on a distinctly different conceptual plane. The title itself presents a powerful juxtaposition: a terrestrial, human-made structure (Bridge) connecting to a celestial, cosmic body (Moon). This piece serves as a visual metaphor for the transpersonal journey — the “bridge” being the artistic process itself, which allows the artist (and by extension, the viewer) to traverse the gap between the mundane, physical world and the sublime, “overconscious” realms. The composition is likely designed to guide the eye on a journey, from a point of origin to a distant, ethereal destination. From a psychological viewpoint, the painting’s success is measured by its ability to provoke a sense of a shared, collective journey and to visually articulate the connection between the inner self and the universal unconscious. This artwork, therefore, functions as a visual instruction manual for achieving a holotropic state, with the artist’s own path literally and symbolically laid bare on the canvas.
The “mega” scale of these masterpieces is a crucial scientific component of their efficacy. Unlike smaller works that can be viewed in their entirety at a glance, these large-scale paintings demand physical and sustained engagement. The viewer must move, focus on details, and step back to comprehend the whole. This physical interaction breaks down the traditional subject-object barrier between art and viewer, creating an immersive, environmental experience. This is not merely for aesthetic effect; it is a deliberate strategy to bypass the ego and conscious thought. By enveloping the viewer in a sea of visual information, these works compel a state of surrender that mirrors the core principle of holotropic psychology—the moving toward wholeness.
Edi Apostu’s “Mega Masterpieces” are more than just large, impressive paintings. They are a profound contribution to the intersection of art and science, serving as complex records of transpersonal experiences and as powerful tools for psychological transformation. Spiral of Time. 8207 acts as a quantitative study in chromatic density and immersive complexity, while Bridge over Moon provides a conceptual map for the journey of consciousness itself. Together, they demonstrate that art, when guided by a rigorous scientific and philosophical methodology, can become a profound means of not only exploring but also experiencing the deeper, unseen realities of the human psyche.
The Cosmology of Consciousness: A Comparative Study of Edi Apostu’s Bridge over Moon and Spiral of Time. 8207
Edi Apostu’s “Mega Masterpieces” are not merely large-scale abstract paintings; they are foundational texts of his artistic philosophy, Holotropic Art, which aims to induce “states of overconsciousness” in the viewer. Two of his most ambitious works, Spiral of Time 8207 and Bridge over Moon, serve as monumental visual meditations on space, time, and transcendence. While both are built on the same grand scale and spiritual ambition, they approach the concept of universal connection through distinct thematic and technical lenses.
Shared Philosophy: The Holotropic Dimension
Both Spiral of Time 8207 and Bridge over Moon are central works within Apostu’s self-coined art movement. Holotropic Art, derived from transpersonal psychology, proposes that art can act as a catalyst for non-ordinary states of consciousness, connecting the viewer to universal, archetypal information.
Their colossal size – each a vertical triptych spanning 585 cm by 350 cm – is integral to this goal. The overwhelming physical scale is designed to envelop the viewer, forcing an intensive engagement that facilitates the shift from ordinary perception to a transpersonal experience.
Bridge over Moon: The Path of Ascent
If the universe is a journey, Bridge over Moon (completed in 2018 after approximately 2,300 hours of work) maps the route. The piece is defined by the artist as: “The invisible spiritual bridge that transcends both the physical, human, ephemeral universe and also metaphysical, spiritual, celestial plane.”
The artwork depicts a brilliant, energetic arch soaring over a dramatic, chaotic backdrop that represents the turbulent physical world. The arch itself is the pathway—luminous, defined, and leading toward a serene, celestial goal, presumably the “moon” of the title, which acts as a symbol of the spiritual plane or “overconsciousness.”
The structure of the bridge is less about architectural form and more about the direction of the soul. The painting’s composition functions as a visual narrative of ascent and resolution, encouraging the viewer to perceive their own spiritual journey as a deliberate, directed path away from the ephemeral and toward the eternal.
Spiral of Time. 8207: The Multiverse of Color
Spiral of Time. 8207 (completed between 2015 and 2016 after a rigorous 7,500 hours of work) shifts the focus from spiritual direction to universal structure. It is a visual cosmology driven by precision and complexity, centered on the profound concept: “The Time in Spiral is over all the Parallel Universes that are sometimes intertwined.”
This work holds a unique distinction: it features 8,207 distinct, pure colors, making it “by far the painting with the most colors in the entire world.” This unprecedented chromatic complexity is not arbitrary; it is the core of the artwork’s meaning.
The Spiral motif, a universal symbol of cyclical time, growth, and the journey from an inner point outward, visually dominates the composition. This cosmic swirl represents the “implacable Time” that governs existence. The number 8207 – the count of unique, measured colors – juxtaposes the scientific and the abstract, suggesting a systematic resonance or quantum specificity within the abstract chaos of parallel realities.
The painting challenges the viewer to look beyond its abstract nature and recognize the layers of intricate, color-coded information, which the artist suggests form “portals towards parallel worlds.”
A Synthesis of Form and Function
The true masterpiece lies in how these two paintings use different visual metaphors to achieve the same holotropic state:
- Metaphor of Space:
- Spiral of Time. 8207 uses the metaphor of depth and complexity (spiral, 8,207 colors) to represent the density of existence across infinite parallel universes, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all time and space.
- Bridge over Moon uses the metaphor of height and distance (bridge, moon) to represent the chasm between the physical and the spiritual, emphasizing the effort required for transcendence.
- Technique and Intent:
- The 7,500 hours spent on Spiral of Time. 8207 point to a focus on systematic complexity and extreme precision in color mixing and application, creating a structured chaos that mirrors the hypothesized nature of the multiverse.
- The 2,300 hours spent on Bridge over Moon suggest a focus on visualizing the sublime, creating a dramatic, guiding landscape for the soul.
In essence, Bridge over Moon is the map to the eternal, a guide for the vertical leap into consciousness. Spiral of Time. 8207 is the eternal itself, a kaleidoscopic vision of interwoven realities, emphasizing that the journey is less a straight line and more an infinite, colored loop of existence. Together, they form two indispensable pillars of Edi Apostu’s Holotropic Art, offering viewers not just paintings, but elaborate tools for introspection and a direct connection to the universal whole.