I came across Alexander Binder in Zone 1 magazine for a winter group show coming up in Stockholm. For the sake of toning down my blog, I filtered his work through an innocent eye as I was curating. Although some of Binder's work may be mistaken as lighthearted and hip because of its penetrating rays of light and multicoloured illuminations, it is not so. His work is literally frightfully captivating. Its satanic symbolism and themes are by no means hidden. From dark nosferatu (the first vampire) looking characters embedded deep within dark forests, to crosses, graves, and illuminated goat's faces, Binder does not seem to leave out any past or modern associations with the devil.
Interestingly, I have come across several artists lately that have extreme associations with religion and antichrist. From my readings, the feeling that spiritualities and religions are fading beliefs of the past are becoming forefront in many people's minds. Fear of the postmodern, digital age is a fear of losing the human soul and essence in favour of technology. Our scientific imaginations have overpowered our belief in gods and spirits. Thus artists (and people for that matter) that grasp desperately at past religions and cults are merely frantically looking to the past (the familiar) to make sense of the future.
Ironically, German photographer Binder was born on Halloween in Germany's Black Forest. In this case, maybe Binder is into the dark arts just because.
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