“Bliss: Transformational Festivals & the Neo Hippie” book event at Malaprop’s, Jan. 19

PRESS RELEASE:

On January 19, the acclaimed American photographer Steve Schapiro, who is known worldwide for his photographs of the 1960s, including Haight-Ashbury and the hippies of that era, will be in Asheville to talk about his new book Bliss (powerHouse Books) that documents the hippies of today in and out of “transformational festivals” across the country. In Bliss, Steve Schapiro confirms the 60s are still here! The talk and book signing will take place on Tuesday, January 19 at 7pm at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café (55 Haywood Street).

BLISS:
TRANSFORMATIONAL FESTIVALS & THE NEO HIPPIE
BY STEVE SCHAPIRO

Introduction by Theophilus Donoghue
Afterword by Wavy Gravy

There’s a free-spirit movement afoot that has more to do with meditation, yoga, fellowship, good vibes, and a search for the divine than it does with the mind-altering substances of its 60s predecessor. In Bliss: Transformational Festivals & the Neo Hippie (powerHouse Books), Steve Schapiro, the internationally renowned photographer famous for his photographs of the original hippie era in San Francisco and beyond, follows his son Theophilus Donoghue on his journey to enlightenment at “transformational festivals” held throughout the country. From 2012 to 2014, the father and son team visited the Mystic Garden in Oregon, the Rainbow Gathering and Mt. Shasta festival in California, Burning Man in Nevada, and Electric Forest in Michigan, among other festival locations.

In Bliss, Schapiro captures the multitudes who come to commune with nature, other like-minded souls, and all that is divine and inspirational in the multi-hued spectrum of human spirituality. He focuses on a subculture of the current hippie counterculture known as “Bliss Ninnies” — individuals who embrace meditation and dancing as a way to reach ecstatic states of joy. The book provides an overview of a new contemporary hippie life within America introduced to Schapiro by his son who began his own journey into Bliss at age 23.

In his introduction, Theopholius writes that “many people think that hippies were a phenomena of the 60’s/early 70’s, the movement never ended; it simply vacated the cities in order to live in eco-villages (hundreds throughout the States) and congregate for annual festivals, most notably ‘The Rainbow Gathering’.”

He continues: “The current hippie generation definitely still has a strong political awareness and activist spirit, but the ‘blissed out’ portion of this ‘family’ that these photos document are primarily concerned about spirituality as opposed to politics as being a means of improving the world.”

Bliss takes the viewer on a journey with these ecstatic bliss ninnies as they eye-gaze (a liberating form of open eye meditation), dance and revel in the divine in these compelling photographs. Their beliefs and way of life spark the question: “is the search for pure joy a search for God?” These never-before depicted scenes may indeed just answer that. The 60s are still here. You just have to find where.

Bliss is interspersed with the colorful, personal writings of followers of “bliss.” Andreanna Tera Naratatma describes it as “a simple and beautiful way to be happy. It is truly living for love, what inspires us and makes us feel most alive. In bliss, there is no thinking, analyzing, planning, reminiscing. The fabricated realms of ‘past’ and ‘future’ dissolve, and there is only the luminous lucidity of NOW. This is where magic happens, spirit and matter meet and true living creation happens.”

Born and raised in New York City, Steve Schapiro attended Amherst College and graduated from Bard College, and studied photography with the legendary W. Eugene Smith. As a budding photographer, he got an early break: an assignment from Life magazine. He has never stopped working since. His work has been published in prestigious magazines around the world, including The New Yorker, Life, Look, Vanity Fair, Paris Match, People, and Rolling Stone. Schapiro’s photographs were included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1968 exhibition Harlem On My Mind. His work can be found in the collections of the Smithsonian, The High Museum of Art, and the National Portrait Gallery. Schapiro’s recent solo shows were in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, London and Paris. The Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm, Sweden presented a retrospective of his work in the spring of 2012. An exhibition entitled Schapiro. Living America was on view at the Center for Photography Lumiere Brothers, Moscow in the fall of 2012. Schapiro has published five books of his work, American Edge, Schapiro’s Heroes, The Godfather Family Album, Taxi Driver and Steve Schapiro: Then and Now.