There is a mystical connection between the elements of the universe and the cosmic or physical forces that govern them. The repeating structures of nature, from the scattered galaxies to the dense chaos of underwater organisms, suggest a hidden order beneath this apparent impossibility. The constant movement of particles finds harmony when viewed through a wider lens, revealing a continuum that has inspired spiritual and scientific inquiry. This alignment of forces is echoed in all traditional philosophies and beliefs, from the Chinese concept of Dao to the Greek text “Panta rei.” Originating in the East and the West, these ideas finally found stability in the modern era through the lens of quantum physics, which provides a logical view of the infinite.
Howardena Pindell’s decades-long career appears to be an effort to map and photograph this secret space system. His enigmatic works revolve around what remains unseen and unexplained, combining abstract intuition with the rigors of scientific observation. Straddling all media, his practice often feels like divination, combining mystical elements with a precision reminiscent of the mind of natural systems.
A survey of works, now on view at the Garth Greenan Gallery, provides an important look at Pindell’s rich and varied body of work. He stands among a trailblazing group of African Americans—including Sam Gilliam, Jack Whitten and Frank Bowling—who, for too long, were sidelined in the dominant narrative of postwar emancipation. However, recently these musicians and boys have also started to get the respect they deserve. Pindell’s method of abstraction, in particular, is deeply spiritual rather than overtly expressive, focusing on a personal and mystical process. His work seems to trace the connections, links and central forces that hold the universe together, offering a deep meditation on the nature of existence.
For thousands of years, looking to the stars for guidance was a shared practice across cultures. Photo by Howardena Pindell Astronomy paintings (2000–2008) revive this tradition, using abstract symbols to map the vibrations of the universe and tap into the unfathomable cosmic order of power and meaning.
There is a deeply ritualistic quality to his meticulous dot system, which is repeated throughout his work combining the micro and macro cosmos. In the early 1970s, Pindell began sprinkling paint onto canvases using perforated card stock, creating complex layers of dots that evoke an endless flow of particles from all materials. These songs create a wonderful interplay between the background and the foreground, combining the dimensions of fantasy and physicality. The seemingly invisible patterns poetically reflect the stratified nature of reality, oscillating between human experience and the invisible physical and chemical conditions that support it. He The Deep Sea again The Tesseract the series, for example, moves through compression, rarefactions and scattering of points, which evoke the constellations of galaxies or the dynamic movement of microorganisms under the microscope.
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Pindell’s assessment becomes relevant to his paper-making activities, such as Comet (#98) (2022), where galaxies appear from hundreds of hand-drawn paper dots embedded in layered surfaces. These works also highlight the multifaceted reality, easily connecting the large and small dimensions of the universe. At the same time, sky and grounded, Pindell’s abstract and touching methods suggest a poetic representation of universal orders, inviting viewers to consider the intersection of realities often expressed in the complex language of quantum physics.
The exhibition’s title, “Inner Space,” adds another layer of depth to these works, suggesting they can also be read as inner worlds. In this way, they show a complex system of emotions and feelings, trying to harmonize with the flow of global energy in order to have a harmonious relationship with the complex interdependence of our environment. Notably, many of Pindell’s works from the late 1970s are characterized by an ongoing engagement between destruction and reconstruction, a theme influenced by his experience of memory loss following a horrific car crash in 1979. Through this lens, the artist is not only creating power. that seem to rule the universe—forces involved in a never-ending cycle of creation and destruction—but also invite viewers to explore the continuous flow of matter. Pindell’s paintings encourage us to open our hearts and minds to new ideas, to surrender to the flow of energy that can guide us to new places of awareness and a broader understanding of the situations around us.
This journey of understanding led Pindell to an active narrative, scientific or unusual, as it seems to be his paradox. Video Drawing of 1975. In this work, the artist selects and captures still frames from a television show, creates a mysterious zoom effect and then overlays them with a symbolic arrangement of lines, numbers, arrows and dots. This visual overlap also reflects a deeper reading of reality, which suggests a system of interdependence and interdependence between the earthly realm of human events and the universal forces that govern the spatial and temporal dimensions in which they unfold.
Both disturbing and revealing, “Inner Space” needs time to fully digest. However, as an intelligent survey of the work of Howardena Pindell, it shows the language of interest and vision that he created—always combining abstract and symbolic thought, science and fiction, to interpret the undeniable, continuous flow of energy that animates everything, from the celestial to the atomic scale.
“Inner Space” by Howardena Pindell is on view at Garth Greenan until December 13.
