A Trip Towards the Self with Barry Silver
New York, New York. If you can make it there you can make it anywhere.
Today we interview Barry Silver, traveling artist, explorer of the mystic and esoteric realms.
Although Barry is currently based in Mexico, we met him back in Mysore, India, as one of the “Cool Kids” from a thriving New York Ashtanga scene. At the time he was assistant to the revered Eddie Stern. And intimidatingly self-composed.
Looking back at those times in the quiet suburb of Gokulum, Barry has shared with us new insights into the trap of the “Super Cool.”
Now, with time and distance, he’s able to see his participation in it for what it was: A giant ego trip of self flattery and self flagellation, and opportunity to self masticate his own gloss.
Barry is astonishingly self aware of his own pursuit of cool, and seeking to be cool in the myriad communities he merged with.
Whether it was Disco, Kundalini Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, or the “Burner Community,” he has come back to being himself again and again, finding comfort in acknowledging who he is.
Like the Alchemist’s journey, he’s realized that there was nothing to strive for or become, and he oozed cool all along.
From altar building to cathartic scrapbook journaling, Barry Silver has traveled an interesting path to becoming a full-time artist.
It’s always super interesting to figure out who an audience is for a particular kind of art. How do you want them to react? What do you want them to perceive?
Do you want them to scrunch their eyes and stoop their shoulders as they peer closely at your surfaces?
Or do you want them to dance ecstatically, yoked in the embrace of a loving community?
Barry’s work seems to tie together the inter-connectedness of all the dynamic individuals and experiences he’s had within in his life. He is fascinated with these weird dudes and seeks to share his fascination with you.
His work is comic, genius, and generous in a wondrously mysterious way.
His dharma has led him to find the “Barry-ness” in all things. Whatever he creates, he does so with intention and spirit, drawing from his history, and a wide variety of very personal, spiritual experiences in different modalities.
Born and raised in New York City, Barry Silver is a self-taught artist, spiritual seeker, and world traveler. After years in the music and nightlife scene, he discovered yoga and meditation. By 1999 Barry began teaching Kundalini Yoga, and in 2002, Ashtanga Yoga, which led to regularly travel to India for practice, study, and to help lead groups on Yatras (spiritual pilgrimages). His artistic vision was heavily shaped by this period, much of which was chronicled in the collage journals he kept from 2002-2010.
In 2015, Barry began a four-year nomadic journey through Europe, Mexico, North Africa, Central, and South America to participate in and research sustainable communities, indigenous cultures, and various forms of celebration and ritual. Having only a laptop computer to work during his travels prompted a new creative voyage into digital collage. Most often exploring self-portraiture, Barry also enjoys incorporating friends and clients into these psychologically playful and spiritually insightful images.
Over the years Barry Silver’s work has been exhibited in New York and Tokyo, under his signature GBSK - Guru Banda Singh Khalsa - and can be found hanging on the walls of private collectors.
His commissioned art has been printed on everything from full-scale home wallpaper, fashion apparel to party invites and can be found across social media for commercial purposes, and often just for fun.
His newest project is called: Nuestro Tarot. A Trip Towards the Self.
Pledge, support, participate, and take the trip.
“Like much of my art, I used this project as a vehicle to express and integrate the various aspects of myself. It has been an extremely healing and cathartic process.” - Barry Silver
LEARN MORE ABOUT BARRY SILVER
INSTAGRAM I WEBSITE I Nuestro Tarot Kickstarter i GBSK SHOP
Listen Now…
The Finding Harmony Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Harmony Slater and co-hosted by Russell Case.
A big heart of thanks to our friends, family, and students from around the world, who’ve generously supported this podcast through your comments, sharing, and financial donations.
Your contributions have allowed us to keep our podcast ad and sponsor free. Creating, editing and producing each episode takes a lot of time. It is a labor of love. And would not be possible without your kind support.
If you’ve enjoyed today’s podcast, please consider supporting our future episodes by making a donation. Every little bit goes a long way and we are immensely grateful for any and all of your support.
Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review! ❤
Give us a 5★ rating!
We love to read and respond to your comments - So drop us a note in the comments below and give us a shout out on IG!
Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans, with his band “dawnSong” from the album “for Morgan.”
Listen to the entire album on Spotify - Click Here.
To purchase your own copy - Click Here.
