CVAG South Gallery | Window + Plaza Media Gallery | GATHER:PLACE
AEON OF THE BLACK SUN
“For I am divided for love’s sake, for the chance of union. This is the creation of the world, that the pain of division is as nothing, and the joy of dissolution all.” – Goddess Nuit
Aeon of the Black Sun by Alex Coma unfolds in a space where certainty loosens and something older begins to stir. Coma centres inquiry as installation and communicates through material, symbol, gesture, and the senses. His works gently uncover what has been suppressed through colonial erasure and patriarchal order, and endeavours to restore the feminine as a generative, relational, and necessary presence. Working with lapis lazuli, a stone long associated with inner illumination and celestial knowledge, Coma invokes the Black Sun as a feminine force that radiates without seeking visibility. Here, illumination does not arrive through dominance or assertion, but through quiet attunement. The Black Sun asks for a rebalancing of the psyche, a turning away from ego and toward a way of being that holds responsibility, and relational awareness. In recalling ancient feminine mysteries, this work opens a space to confront what has been suppressed, not to resurrect it as relic, but to allow its essence to softly re-enter contemporary consciousness.
PORTAL OF EMANATION | VIEWING SCHEDULE
In Alex Coma’s exhibition Aeon of the Black Sun, the artwork Portal of Emanation has moving components that are open and closed in accordance with astrological charts the artist works with.
Portal of Emanation is a devotional altarpiece attuned to the currents of Saturn. Designed as a living ritual object, its visibility is governed by planetary time. The work remains closed to the viewer except for specific windows of alignment: it is fully revealed weekly on Saturdays (Saturn’s Day) and momentarily during the planet’s governing hours throughout the week.
Opening/Closing Hours | Saturnian Hora:
JANUARY:
January 24 – 10:00am – 5:00pm (Saturn Time: 1:17 – 2:02pm)
January 28 – 10:00 – 10:15am and 2:51 – 3:37pm
January 29 – 12:33 – 1:19pm
January 30 – 10:13 – 11:00am and 3:39 – 4:25pm
January 31 – 10:00am – 5:00pm (Saturn Time: 1:20 – 2:07pm)
FEBRUARY:
February 4 – 10:00 – 10:11am and 2:58 – 3:46pm
February 5 – 12:34 – 1:22pm
February 6 – 10:10 – 10:58am and 3:47 – 4:35pm
February 7 – 10:00am – 5:00pm (Saturn Time: 1:23 – 2:12pm)
February 11 – 10:00 – 10:06am and 3:04 – 3:54pm
February 12 – 12:35 – 1:25pm
February 13 – 10:04 – 10:54am and 3:55 – 4:45pm
February 14 – 10:00am – 5:00pm (Saturn Time: 1:25 – 2:16pm)
February 18 – 3:09 – 4:01pm
February 19 – 12:33 – 1:25pm
February 20 – 10:00 – 10:48am and 4:03 – 4:55pm
February 21 – 10:00am – 5:00pm (Saturn Time: 1:27 – 2:20pm)
February 25 – 3:15 – 4:09pm
February 26 – 12:31 – 1:25pm
February 27 – 10:00 – 10:41am and 4:08 – 5:00pm
February 28 – 10:00am – 5:00pm (Saturn Time: 1:27 – 2:22pm)
MARCH:
March 4 – 3:20 – 4:16pm
March 5 – 12:30 – 1:26pm
March 6 – 10:00 – 10:36am – 4:13 – 5:00pm
March 7 – 10:00am – 5:00pm (Saturn Time: 1:28 – 2:25pm)
– Daylight Saving Time Begins (Clocks Move Forward) –
March 11 – 10:00 – 10:35am and 4:23 – 5:00pm
March 12 – 1:30 – 2:28pm
March 13 – 10:34 – 11:33am
March 14 – 10:00am – 5:00pm (Saturn Time: 2:28 – 3:27pm)
THE RITUAL OF UNION | OLFACTORY INSTALLATION
Scent has always been a bridge between worlds. In [Aeon of the Black Sun], fragrance becomes the invisible thread connecting Sky to Earth — and you become the one who weaves them together.
The spiritual ointment, [Lapis Stellaris], was created using rare essences distilled by Mikaël Zayat, an alchemist born in Egypt; the ancient land of Nuit, goddess of the night sky. His family name translates literally as “The One Who Makes Oil,” and he approaches distillation not as chemistry, but as the capture of a plant’s living spirit. The oil is deep blue, colored by chamazulene, a rare compound that emerges only through the alchemy of heat and time. It evokes the body of Nuit herself: vast, cool, and scattered with stars.
By anointing yourself with the oil and approaching the mound, you complete a circuit that cannot otherwise close. The cool, starry notes on your skin dissolve into the warm, rosy heart within. What was divided comes together — not in the air, not in the clay, but in you. You are the vessel. You are the union.
Learn more about the Olfactory Essential Oil Intervention.
ALEX COMA
Artist Statement:
My story is one of following the invisible path that, ever since my time in art school in 2011, has shown me which doors to open. Where those hints from the universe used to unconsciously and magnetically pull me in a specific direction, they are now a conscious and intentional part of my life. This show is for me a three-years-long act of trust and surrender to the greater forces of the universe that need an outlet to express and transform something within the collective reality. I am the vessel; the art is the message.
My art practice begins in the territories of spirituality, transformation, and the unconscious, articulated through the systematic languages of oil painting and immersive installations. The creative process is driven by intense meditation and self-investigation, starting with the acknowledgement of psychic imbalances and leading toward the perception of vast, impersonal archetypal energies. This internal journey is my rigorous methodology for generating shared symbolic content. The best way I can describe it is a sort of warm glow that condenses in my chest until I give this light a form — which is what you will see in Aeon of the Black Sun.
In painting, I blend detailed realism with layered symbolism, deploying the chiaroscuro technique to summon meditative atmospheres where the visible and invisible converse. I use rare, labor-intensive pigments, such as lapis lazuli, viewing the creative act as an alchemical process that transforms both the artwork and my own perception simultaneously. My compositions — featuring specific architectures, night skies, and lush landscapes — function as portals to inner realities and the critique of material ephemerality.
For this exhibition, some of those received visions were best expressed through 2D images/paintings, while others seemed to need to move through space in the form of sculptural installations. My immersive installations transition beyond the two-dimensional plane, transforming the presentation spaces into contemplative territories through the integration of soundscapes and precise, symmetrical arrangements. The sound is a way to allow the audience to enter the right heart space to receive the work. The scent component is a way to tie the whole experience into the realm of emotions and of allowing this experience to be recalled further down the line to allow this transformation to continue even when visitors’ experience at the gallery has ended.
Aeon of the Black Sun is all about shifting our focus collectively. From the deep-seated and imbalanced egotistical desires that seem to dominate the world — where “stars” (be they countries striving to be the best, or individuals, etc.) — to instead focus on becoming the “Black Sun”, who doesn’t need to be seen but still shines invisibly through working in silence for the greater good of humanity. This leads to a more balanced psyche and understanding of who we are in relationship to what is considered “other”.
This project depicts a symbolic and conscious ritual of remembering the feminine mysteries associated with the Black Sun in an attempt to rebalance those unconscious desires within us. The only symbol I will mention is that of Goddess Nuit, whose message was taken from the Thelemic Book of the Law and quoted in this exhibition. She is the guiding light that has been working through me and that we all have access to. From her body, made up of time and space, she allowed light to move through her and birth the universe. You will see many references to Nuit throughout the show but most importantly when looking in the mirror. These mysteries are as ancient as the universe, and you will see various manifestations of them in the art works presented: some depicting more physical, earthly dimensions; some more emotional; others more intellectual; and finally, some more spiritual and ethereal.
The aim of this body of work presented is not clear to me yet, as it has felt more like channeled work that needs to be felt by the public to find its meaning. Therefore, the people who will experience the show hold lots of power in allowing the energy found in all those symbols to find a new way of expression. It might come through feelings, thoughts, physical sensations, and even dreams. My hope for this show is that the spirit of this exhibition may demonstrate its beneficent light to anyone open to receiving it, in whatever form that may take.
Artist Biography:
My interests as an artist are exploring the complex intersections between systematic symbolic language, esoteric knowledge, and what consciousness means in the age of technology. Graduated from the photography program at Concordia University, my practice is defined by a rigorous methodology developed over a decade of disciplined inner exploration under the guidance of Egyptian spiritual teacher, Shri Amir Mourad.
Intensive study informs my visual lexicon, enabling me to perceive and translate the profound symbolic content and archetypal energies through oil painting and immersive installation. My work utilizes historical techniques, such as chiaroscuro, to summon contemplative, non-rational atmospheres that actively challenge scientific objectivity and Eurocentric rationalist canons.
My commitment to collaborative artistic research extends to my role as the 2023 founder of Roze Umbra, an initiative dedicated to visionary artists, which includes “The Blue Hour Podcast” and the ‘’Visionary Roze Grant’’ offering.
My work seeks a delicate balance between empirical knowledge and the ineffable mystery, focusing on creating shared symbolic content that critically engages with collective consciousness.
Aeon of the Black Sun is part of the Transcendent Thresholds convergent program at the Comox Valley Art Gallery.
