“Mindfulness” – a new exhibition by York photographic artist Graham K Cook

Mindfulness is a key concept in Mahayana Buddhism, being present in the moment, appreciating life and the world as it is, uncritically and without judgement. It is this concept of mindfulness that Graham attempts to capture in a new exhibition being hosted by the York Theatre Royal during March and April.

Often he is drawn to water, as a potent symbol of the transient nature of the world, and reflections as a way of viewing the world from a slightly different perspective, breaking the linear nature of normal sight. This selection of work illustrates these principles, each being a ‘visual haiku’ attempting to distil a single, pure emotion felt at the time of taking.

Textures feature strongly in his images, encouraging the viewer to ‘touch’ the subject with their minds, feel the textures visually but remembering the Zen principle of “not confusing the finger with the moon”.

Stills photography, by its very nature, exists in the moment. It represents the forever ‘present’, mindfulness captured, while highlighting the transience of things in showing how they ‘were’ at a moment in the past. This paradox is at the heart of Graham’s philosophy and art.

The exhibition runs from the 19^th March to the 16^th April 2012 and more examples of Graham’s work can be seen at www.grahamkcook.co.uk.