According to Slavic folklore, when a maiden dies an untimely death, her soul, known as a Rusalka, appears as a beautiful water spirit or water nymph dwelling in a nearby tree or lake. There she tries to lure men into the water to their death? and Nirvana beyond.
The photographs and films of Leland Auslender have been critically acclaimed at national and inter-national exhibitions, including numerous one-man and group shows. He creates unique imagery using distorting mirrors and lenses he has developed.
?The Birth of Aphrodite" won the CINE Golden Eagle? and the Atlanta International Film Festival Silver Phoenix for Best Experimental Film.
Frozen in timeless beauty, Auslender?s Celestial Images reflect transcendental or ?peak? experiences of our oneness with the mystical universe as we surrender ourselves to receive whatever it might offer?
~glimpses of the glittering biodance,
~visits by the mysterious Muse,
~the cosmos as a cathedral, ~fantasies? dreams,
~mythical gods, ~nature spirits, ~angels, ~love, and ~bliss.
