The Awards Collective was created to feature the works of artist who have received a Juror’s Award or Director’s Award in ASG’s Online exhibitions.  Lev L Spiro’s  image “The Secret“ received the Juror’s Award in the “sanctuary” exhibition juried by Kevin Tully.  Lev’s exhibition “Thin Places” was featured from August 1 to August 31, 2024 and is discussed in our GalleryTalk with Lev.

Artist Statement

Thin Places are what the ancient Celts named rare locales where the separation between our earthly world and another, spiritual world becomes hazy and indistinct. They’re places where one feels touched by the otherworldly, a feeling not necessarily transmitted by our known senses.

This series grew out of conversations with my father, a religious man despite his breaking a 16-generation chain of rabbis to become a psychiatrist. Before he passed in 2023, I’d confided in him that for me, deep feelings of spirituality never occurred in the practice of religious observance but rather in the embrace of the natural world – in these Thin Places, where time seems to slow, something resonates in me, and I experience an unexpected sense of connection to a world beyond my consciousness.

Thin Places are elusive – they may only reveal themselves when the light dances with them to a very specific rhythm. They speak to us through vibration more than sight or sound. Where the veil between this world and the other becomes porous, these are Thin Places.

Lev L Spiro
August, 2024

Bio

Lev L. Spiro is a fine art photographer and filmmaker, whose work tries to convey the sense of mystery and wonder he finds in the natural world.

Work from his series “Fugitive Light”, “Night Creatures” and “Thin Places” has been juried into more than 55 exhibitions, including A. Smith Gallery, Davis Orton Gallery, Southeast Center for Photography, Ph21 Gallery, Midwest Center for Photography, and Praxis Gallery, as well as featured in publications including What Will You Remember?, Dodho Magazine, Art Ascent Magazine (Gold Artist, June 2021; Silver Artist, July 2023)  Shadow & Light Magazine, All About Photo, and Black + White UK.

Lev currently teaches the fine art photography course “The Artful Garden” for Santa Fe Workshops.  He’s also well known for his tv and film directing work, having helmed more than 160 episodes, pilots and features for tv including multiple Emmy-award winning series such as Orange is the New Black, Ugly Betty, Modern Family, Weeds and Arrested Development.  He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, and their two dogs T.Beau and Luna.

website: levlspiro.com
instagram: @llspiro

link to online exhibiton