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Sol en la Selva (2017)
Digital Drawing 20 x 30 in.
For the longest time, I had difficulty converting my movement based, abstract linework into anything with related to realism. Beyond not being interested in distorting realism, I found myself without a real objective in doing so: the world I had surrounded myself with was bland and repetitive. I found that taking the real world and imposing it onto my work would take the joy out of making art, and would effectively undo the escapism involved with creating abstract art.
One trip to the Amazon's flooded forrest changed that. It isn't that I hadn't previously appreciated the complexity or beauty of nature, but to see it in such a dense, relentless manner made me rethink the way that I could deliver my visual language. Particularly, it is the manner in which the Amazon spits on conventional design principles: it has virtually no negative space, and ignores any ideas of structuring itself in the most efficient manner possible. Despite its departure from our design principles, it thrives as the most functional and beautiful place on earth.
This piece is a tip of the cap to the intricacies of the flooded forrest: to it's hidden snakes, birds, and flowers. It is my recognition and awe for a place that upended my already grand appreciation of the bizarre, and taught me that it is readily accessible on earth. The Amazon grounded me, it showed me that my concept of creativity wasn't benefitting from ignoring the world around me.
Selected as A2 Letter winner by curator Rajesh Dahiya in January 2018.