The only way out of here is in.
Avowal to Your Agency
Arguably, the “rabbit hole” as a literary device and cultural reference came about in Lewis Carol’s 1865 children’s novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. When Alice gets carried away chasing a white rabbit, she literally falls down his rabbit hole into an alternate reality. The laws of mathematics in this rabbit hole reality are the same as in the aboveground world, but the possibilities and happenstances of the physical world are unimaginable. Philosophically, Carroll examines the relationship to the reality we experience awake and a dream. Anything can happen in one realm of consciousness, whereas the waking world is confined by natural and physical laws. The one major overlap is mathematics.
Ego Expulsion
Due to certain iconic references in music and literature, as well as the recent movie adaptation, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are commonly associated with psychedelic experiences and the ingestion of illicit substances. Needless to say, the mathematical jargon and logic puzzles fell by the wayside when retelling the story for this generation. Like any movie attempting to capture the essence of a work of literature, the modern Alice in Wonderland takes certain creative liberties to portray the absurdities of Carroll’s descriptions. I think much of the beauty of Carroll’s novel comes from his authentic ability to explore topics adults have difficulty grasping in the form of children’s dialogue, while also encompassing the confusion of these topics in general. However, I think the nonsensical descriptions, characters, and conversations can’t help but remind psychedelic veterans of the conscious journeys through the mind’s rabbit holes. Such conscious journeys typically come with a set of gained values and understandings about our reality and perceptions—if done correctly.
Approaching Reality’s Axiom
Though you may not have to take psychedelics to understand the value of a good mind bending experience, it certainly helps gain some perspective on the capabilities of human synapses. In recent months the global psyche has been assaulted with confusing messages from unreliable narrators, whether it be major news outlets or social justice groups with unclear motivations. Not that the world has suddenly gotten more cruel and confusing, we are incessantly flooded with information about the world around us. Overtime we have grown desensitized, detached, and subliminally deceitful. You may not be able to escape this reality completely, but by acknowledging the falsities built up in social facades you can start to step more into the rabbit hole and out of the simulated reality. Recognize the hypocrisy in human intentions. Reclaim you agency to be a freethinking part of the collective, and a spiritual entity unable to be tied to this material prison. They use our own biology—our own chemicals—to send the message that we can be manipulated if we allow it.
Use your instincts to exist in a manner that amplifies the message of meaning and diminishes the kitschy distractions from our in ability to connect.
Distant Times, Present Lies
“‘Keep your temper,’ said the Caterpillar.
’Is that all?’ said Alice, swallowing down her anger as well as she could.
’No,’ said the Caterpillar.
Alice thought she might as well wait, as she had nothing else to do, and perhaps after all it might tell her something worth hearing. For some minutes it puffed away without speaking, but at last it unfolded its arms, took the hookah out of its mouth again, and said, ‘So you think you’re changed, do you?’
’I’m afraid I am, sir,’ said Alice; ‘I can’t remember things as I used—and I don’t keep the same size for ten minutes together!’”
Readjusted Expectation
Reawakened Sensation
Shadows in the Cave
You may recognize Minna Honkakoski from other projects (Looking Glass and Internal Oddities). She is a delight to work with, and her beauty is authentic to the core. She chose the location where these images were shot, which is in a tunnel located between Marble Slab Creamery and White Duck Taco Shop on Biltmore Ave. in Downtown Asheville. Visit Minna’s art Instagram @pinerapid to view more of her personal work or inquire about commissions!
“Kitsch is the stopover between being and oblivion.”
The inspiration for the title of this series came from the 2010 docu-film titled Exit Through the Gift Shop, directed by anonymous street artist Banksy. The film came about because Thierry Guetta, a clothing store owner in LA, began documenting his life while seeking out street artists like his cousin, Invader. Now he is recognized as Mr. Brainwash. Although the creators of the documentary (including Shepard Fairey) claim legitimacy to the operation, many people think the whole thing may itself have been an elaborate prank so that Banksy and Fairey could create a new artist persona using Guetta as a front artist. All hoaxes aside, this type of guerrilla art deserves a look if you are unfamiliar with these artists. Banksy speaks near the end of the film about how kitchy art confuses the definition of authenticity and blurs the lines between artist and craftsman. This in turn leads him to question whether or not everyone is responsible enough to create art. The ending is a bit discouraging, especially for small time artists who may never be as well known as Mr. Brainwash, yet undoubtedly deserve to have their perspectives recognized. I suppose this is an attempt to inspire people to think before creating, consuming, or becoming captivated by the creations of others before knowing more about the intentions of the creator.
“...because of modern standards for art evaluation, people like Guetta stifle the creativity and motivation of other artists because they rise so quickly—and yet their art isn’t authentic. Banksy has been led to question even his own art as a result of Guetta’s fame, and he no longer encourages other artists. Banksy alludes to these consequences but doesn’t come up with a concrete answer: “I don’t know what it means, Thierry’s huge success and arrival in the art world. Maybe it means Thierry was a genius all along, maybe it means he got a bit lucky. Maybe art is all a big joke.””