Alex Dobrenko

Mysticism is not primarily a theoretical issue. It is not just a question of an intellectual belief in the existence of God as some kind of metaphysical postulate which can be affirmed or disputed. Rather, mysticism is existential and practical. It is—and this can serve as a rough and ready definition—the cultivation of practices which allow you to... See more

There’s something fascinating about how people cling to structure in ways they don’t always recognize. We create arbitrary rhythms and rely on rituals of religion, culture, routines, and even superstitions, from morning prayers to knocking on wood to avoid jinxes. Sometimes they’re product of ocd, anxiety, or something else altogether but these... See more

If a monolith falls over in the desert for no one to see or hear it, did it ever really happen? My answer is yes. I know it does because I can feel it. I can feel it in the air.

I can feel it in my hopes and dreams. I can feel it in the voices of my friends. I can feel it in the news. I can feel it in my mushrooms and my LSD. I can feel it in my... See more

Fixing → Caring: I start by moving away from the techno-deterministic pull of the language around ‘fixing’ and instead urge the use of ‘caring’. When we foreground the idea of care, it inherently embodies ideas of fixing, building, making — everything necessary to-take-care-of that particular thing, person, tree, insect, bird, animal, us, them,... See more

As I argue in my ‘Offline Manifesto,’ which introduces the new issue three of Analog Sea Review , good art rests upon the artist’s ability to think and feel separately from the crowd, to be alone, to maintain some semblance of interiority.