Jacolby Satterwhite: A Metta Prayer May 18–October 13, 2024
Jacolby Satterwhite, A Metta Prayer, 2023, site-specific, 4-channel multimedia installation: sound, theatrical lighting, high-definition color video, and 3D animation in Autodesk Maya and Unreal Engine, courtesy of the artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Jacolby Satterwhite
“A Metta Prayer draws on Titian and video games.” —New York Times
Interdisciplinary artist Jacolby Satterwhite transforms the Museum’s vast Cullinan Hall with A Metta Prayer. The expansive multimedia installation fuses choreography, video, animation, lighting, and music to reimagine a kaleidoscopic, computer-generated world.
Jacolby Satterwhite: A Metta Prayer was commissioned in 2023 for the Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The immersive exhibition now brings the artist’s virtuosic work to Houston.
A Metta Prayer constructs a digital space that represents love, joy, and resilience. Satterwhite (born 1986) draws inspiration from the Buddhist Metta prayer to build a narrative that rebels against the conventions of commercial video games. A soundtrack produced by the artist pulses with energy, providing the video with its driving beat.
This exhibition celebrates humanity in all its glory through computer-generated scenes of life and love. There are occasional instances of adult language and imagery.
► Artist Interview—The Great Hall Commission: Jacolby Satterwhite, A Metta Prayer | Met Exhibitions
Jacolby Satterwhite discusses his artistic process and inspiration for his multi-channel video installation in the Great Hall of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Jacolby Satterwhite: A Metta Prayer / May 18–October 13, 2024