"Resilience & Renewal" SOLO Show at the German Centre, Singapore until Oct 31

Since June of this year, I have had the honor of showing my work at the German Centre here in Singapore. It’s a beautiful project space and perfect for showing artwork as it resembles a gallery setting. Wonderful natural light and gallery-style lighting have made this a fantastic space. I am sharing some photos and videos of the exhibition.

German Centre, Singapore

25 International Business Park - 3rd Floor

Singapore 609916

It’s not too late to view it! You can schedule a personal tour of the exhibition with me Here

COVID-19 & The Japanese Art Of Kintsugi

The Japanese Art of Kintsugi

Many of you know that I lived in Japan for nearly 8 years.  It is where I studied Art and started my career as an artist.  Now that I am living in Singapore, there are so many memories of Japan that I miss and get nostalgic about.  It is an artistic heaven.

To live in Japan is a uniquely aesthetic experience.  Japanese hospitality (Omotenashi) leaves one feeling like royalty.  Other aspects of Japanese culture which influence all aspects of daily living include Wabi-Sabi, Mottainai and Mushin. Wabi refers to transient and stark beauty.  Sabi refers to the beauty of natural patina and aging.  Mottainai is an expression of regret at waste.  Mushin is the need to accept change.  There is also a belief that everything has a life; Whether it be a teacup or a stone by a waterfall, every object has a Kami (spirit).

In Japan life imitates art and art imitates life.  The two concepts are intertwined in a symbiotic relationship.  The Japanese art of Kintsugi is the perfect example of this.

Kintsugi

Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi is the art of mending broken items.  Using adhesive and gold or silver metal; a broken piece of ceramic/pottery is glued back together along its break lines.  In other cultures, a chipped teapot or broken bowl would often be thrown out and a new one bought to take its place; thereby “saving” the function of the broken item, rather than the item itself.

Broken teacup to be repaired

Photo credit: www.bestlivingjapan.com

In Japan when a piece of pottery is broken, it is the item itself which is repaired.  Not only does this preserve the function for which the piece was intended; but it also adds an element of beauty that was not seen before.  A cup which serves as a vessel to transfer delicious tea; a bowl which serves hot, steamy Ramen; and/or a ceramic structure to display the delicate brushes an artist uses for painting are “reborn” into stronger, “wiser” and more beautiful forms of themselves.

Repaired Teacup

Photo credit: www.bestlivingjapan.com

Inspiration

There is a purpose for all the background.  Living in these “COVID times”, many artists have used time in isolation to focus on their art.  I am no different.

I have quite a few paintings that I have put to the side that don’t “work” and I consider to be “damaged goods”.  With the advent of the COV-19 pandemic, I have been looking for ways to inspire through my artwork.  I wanted to adapt the art of Kintsugi with my paintings in light of what this pandemic has shown us regarding the human race and climate change.  I cut up my old paintings on canvas, gathered up acrylic skins left over from previously poured paintings, used new acrylic skins and glued them onto the wood panel using acrylic medium.  Cracks are filled with 23kt gold leaf and/or silver leaf – much like a kintsugi artist does with broken pieces of pottery. Bits of gold leaf to mimic the “Shards” of broken earth are applied. In a technical sense, it is a 2D visual of the Art of Kintsugi.

Personally, my hope is to offer a depiction of the Earth mended and inspiration for humans to see that it’s possible to enjoy an Earth more beautiful than before – if we take steps to heal it.

 Kintsugi I, Acrylic & 23kt Gold Leaf on Wood Panel, 16 x20″

Kintsugi II, Acrylic, Canvas, 23kt Gold Leaf on Wood Panel, 16 x20″

Kintsugi III, Acrylic, Canvas & 23kt Gold Leaf on Wood Panel, 16 x 20″

“Kinstugi Earth I” was a finalist in the “3rd Annual Colors” online Art Exhibition at the Contemporary Art Room Gallery for the month of April

“Kintsugi Earth I, II & III” were all accepted as part of the “All Planet Earth” Contemporary Art Gallery International online Competition.

“Kintsugi II” has been accepted as part of the 29th Annual International Society of Experimental Artists Exhibition this coming August.  The show was going to take place in Alberta, Canada, but due to the pandemic it will be an online show.

Please do check my website for updates and new artworks.  In the time of COVID-19, the lock-down here in Singapore has allowed me ample time to work on new ideas, experiment with materials and self-critique along the way.  As always, I love to hear your thoughts and welcome your feedback on any of my artworks. And of course, if you are interested in acquiring these or any of my artworks, please email me at Rajul@rshah-studio.com

Best Always,

Rajul

Art & Life In The Time Of Corona

Two months ago (today is March 30), even just 4 weeks ago; I was looking forward to a Spring Break and Summer vacation with each side of our family.  Living in Singapore, with family spread across the US, including my two older children in the NYC area – we look forward to the times when we can gather again.  I never thought that in as little as 4 weeks, all these plans would change; and we would be in the midst of a global pandemic.

Of course, we all knew a “Pandemic” was always a possibility.  Futurists, political, medical, climate and intelligence pundits always warned of global crises such as this – along with Super Volcanos and the “Big One”. However, this was something placed outside our reach when we planned for events impacting our daily lives.

And now we are here; in the midst of a global COVID-19 pandemic. Emotions range from anxiety, anger, annoyance, exasperation, frustration and grief.  Almost all of the global population is working and/or schooling at home as we shelter in place to varying degrees by country.  Stock markets and economies are at risk as the global supply chain is disrupted and workers are laid off due to lockdowns and loss of business.

The fact is – with the exception of professional art collectors, It is possible that the Art market will see a decrease in sales for at least the next year to 18 months.  Most artists hold a day job to pay their bills.  I hope my fellow colleagues are able to survive economically during these exceptional times.

So, what do we – artists – do?  Given all the sad news around us, we have the unique ability to inspire; and create art that offers hope and/or a peaceful escape.  We have the time to innovate and that is what we should do.

For most people, working from home or alone on a daily basis is a relatively new occurrence.  For an artist – not so much.  If anything, we probably retreat to our studios more often to get away from everyone else who is now at home!

For me, my studio has provided a creative escape from the daily news and anxiety. With most leisure venues and children activities closed down, it has been easier to allocate blocks of time to creative pursuits in the studio.  There is no “pressure” of a show in the near future. I am forced to slow down, take my time and focus.  I am taking advantage of this to “play” and experiment more, to self-critique my work and make changes.  I have also taken advantage of the time to enroll in some on-line learning and creative coaching/mentoring.

Having the extra time has also allowed me to finish up a couple previous works such as the ones below:

Experimenting with Washi Paper is something I have wanted to do for a while.  Having this time has allowed me to do just that.  I’ve coated Washi Paper with gold leaf, sealer and primer – it is ready for layers of paint and I plan to experiment with Acrylic Inks.

Gold Leaf on Washi Paper Ready for painting!

Within all of this, I have been inspired to develop a new series of paintings, called “Kintsugi Earth”.  Going back to my time in Japan, I had taken part in a workshop to understand the Japanese art of Kintsugi. 

Acrylic & 23kt Gold Leaf on Wood Panel – In Progress

I will offer greater detail regarding this artform in a future blog, but the short and quick definition referenced by Wikipedia: “the art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum”. Philosophically, it treats the breakage and repair as part of the history of the object.

Stay tuned as I continue the creative journey and experiment across mixed media and “play” with the Kintsugi theme a bit more!

As always, I love to hear your thoughts.  Please feel free to leave comments below!