Jacolby Satterwhite: A Metta Prayer Through 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.
At a time when Black and LGBTQ+ communities face continued threats of violence, 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