Works from the Ripples Series
2020
Natural pigments, metal leaf, dried plants on paper
size variable

The ‘Ripples’ series of paintings originate from my experience in different regions of the Himalayas. Surrounded by nature in its pristine beauty, one becomes more acutely aware of what is beyond existence of the self. The overarching question however is, how can such values be re-introduced to other parts of the world? How can a shift occur in one’s mind if not physically placed within the sublime?

I use natural pigments and metal leaf to depict various forms of water: waves, clouds, currents and undertow, riptides and backwaters. For me, the simplicity of line movement captures a feeling of awe for transient beauty, while the lexicon of water itself invites clear connections between earth and spirituality, between the constant force of change and mankind’s pursuit of transcendence. I also juxtaposed my drawings with dried plants subject to decay; their ephemerality suggests how beauty can exist even in a fragile state. These works are not an attempt to provide any answers, but through playful reconfiguration of forms and spatial relationships, I invite viewers to explore their place in relation to worlds above and below. 

Ripples Series

Tuphuk Marpo (Red Cave)
2020
Natural pigments, shell gold, pine soot ink on paper


Great minds of the past associate rocks with clouds.
Clouds, formless as they are particles floating in space, try to catch a cloud, and we get ether.
Rocks, seemingly solid in form and permenant in time, are also dusts. Their nature is emptiness, just as all conditioned phenomena in life.
We find solace in rock’s shelter, and perhaps also a moment of clarity as we see our place between Heaven and Earth.


Tuphuk Marpo (Red Cave)

Moon in the Water
2020
Natural pigments, silver leaf, graphite on paper
32x36.5cm
.
Contemplations on layers of the mind as I continued exploring the use of borders. I like the idea that each border or frame prepares us to enter into a different realm of reality. We can discern easily something as made up, a painting, a film or a dream has its frame, but what about the picture frame of the mind? “A shooting star, a thundering cloud, a shadow, an illusion, a drop of dew, a bubble, a dream, a lightning flash. This is the way one should see the conditioned.”

Moon in the Water

Flux (Diptych)
2020
Natural pigments, silver leaf, oil soot ink on paper
Each 21x16cm

This diptych takes inspiration from zen riddle paintings from the Song Dynasty. The original paintings, ten in a series by the zen master Kuo An, had been lost, but for centuries artists have been drawn to the theme -  a visual translation of a spiritual walk from the obscurity of chaotic beginnings into an attainment of ease. 
At present my practice aims to reimagine the traditional art form into our contemporary context,  through playful reconfiguration of forms and spatial relationships, I invite the viewer to look deeply into our existence.

Flux (Diptych)

Saṃsāra
2021
Natural pigments, silver leaf on paper
24x33cm

This painting is inspired by pilgrimage to Tso Dhankar in Spiti Valley in the Indian Himalayas. At the time it was getting dark, and seemingly out of nowhere the goat herd passed by from their daily grazing. I was touchedby the moment as life naturally unfolds before me.

“The wave does not have to do anything to become water, it is already water.”


Saṃsāra

Kushinagar
2020
Natural pigments, shell gold, silver leaf patina on paper
29x43cm


Sacred spaces carry great wonders of creation, visions of enlightened ones remain as relics and artifacts that offer us an opening, a moment of quietude for us to take a glimpse into timelessness.

The body of my works stems from my passion and devotion in spiritual practices, explorations beyond the known and limited Self. I see the brush as an extension of the mind- less in the sense of conscious/subconscious but more in the sense of mind field where seeds are planted and ripe as mental formations — the directness and immediacy of the lines offer a gateway to intricacies of our innate nature that cannot be easily verbalized. It is with the timeless tool of the brush I explore our existence in relation t o the world above - cosmos, the Spirit, and the world we set our foot on - Earth, the world of impermanence.


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