MOSA opened its latest exhibition of Devotional Art in a Digital Age by Barna Fater from Hungary at the Radhadesh Mellows festival. This is the latest addition to MOSA’s Collection of ISKCON devotional art bringing the total to 9 Collections. MOSA also has 12 Collections of sacred/spiritual art by Indian artists.

We live in an age where the digital, virtual and artificial intelligence are become common place and people spend a good amount of their time connected with that world either for work or for pleasure or both. So we can easily call our times a digital age. The question arises can art be expressed through these new medium? Can computers compete with pens, brushes and other classical tools used in the visual arts? Well in the creations of Barna we can see that he can use these new instruments to express artistic beauty and devotion as well. Barna as well as many spiritual seekers can use computers and software programmes to express Bhakti (Devotional Service and Consciousness). A Spiritual tradition that wants to perdure in time must be able to adapt to technological, social and other changes.

In this way Krsna Consciousness uses computers in many different ways to serve Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. Barna is a perfect example of how we can use computers to create amazing images of the lord’s Pastimes. His representations of divine lila are full of colour and movement. They are at the same time loyal to the scriptures from where they manifest. This requires not only a creative impulse and inspiration but a strong spiritual practice and lifestyle. And a strong desire to consult experts in the scriptures to make sure that artistic freedom doesn’t contradict or distort the descriptions in the scriptures.

We are also very fortunate that new printing machines and techniques can bring to life the luminosity and vibrant colours out of the digital into material elements. The technique is called pigments prints on special archival paper done by David Adamson. So the combination of new software programs, new computers and new methods of printing can open doors into new worlds of artistic expressions in the visual arts.

We hope the visitors to MOSA will enjoy discovering the lord’s pastimes in the wonderful works of barna entering into a magical virtual world of beauty, colours, devotion, action and incredible feats.