Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!

Straight from H. P. Lovecraft’s lines, Cthulhu came as a dream, or rather, as a nightmare urging Hackatao to wake up to art. Cthulhu’s hybrid nature, as divinity and priest, the way it lays dormant beyond death itself and its influence on humankind through psychic power are compelling. The alluring monster surfaces from a vortex of endless repetition: ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn is the mantra, as for Tibetan prayer wheels. Central, inescapable, crowned in sharp fangs, its wide mouth opens over the absolute vastness of a black hole, the very womb of the universe. The figure has a small heart on its chest. It is pitch black, but couldn’t it be the dot of good within the negative half of the Tao, the sign of love hacking hatred? What is certain is that Cthulhu is a demon as both a devil and a genius to Hackatao: as talent itself, it may lay dormant for a long time, but once waken by the cry “ia, ia, Cthulhu fhtagn,” no artist can resist its call. Read full article by Chiara Braidotti on https://medium.com/@hackatao/ia-ia-cthulhu-fhtagn-7e193d7ee6bc Animated GIF 1300x1300