Mandala maker handles life’s shifting sands with art and kung fu

JEWISH JOURNAL
By Ayala Or-El

His first exhibition of mandalas in Los Angeles is on display Thursdays through Saturdays through July 1 at 929 E. Second St. in the Arts District.

LOS ANGELES---Not much had changed since Rafael “Rafi” Anteby was a little boy who played in the sand. Sometimes his immaculate apartment looks like a big sandbox with dozens of bowls filled with colorful sands, which he collects from around the world: purple from Big Sur and Idaho, black and green from Hawaii, red and yellow from Israel, golden brown from Myanmar. Anteby, 52, who was born in Israel, is a Los Angeles artist who uses sand of different colors to make Hindu and Buddhist ritual symbols known as mandalas. His first exhibition of mandalas in Los Angeles is on display Thursdays through Saturdays through July 1 at 929 E. Second St. in the Arts District. [More]

Healing Mantra, 2017Mojavi Desert yellow sand, Ramon Mine purple and red sand, Hawaiian green sand, Zion Canyon Yellow River sand, 23-karat gold, acrylic, Ficus tree sap and adhesive over canvas 46.25 x 46.25 inches (117.5 x 117.5 cm)