CATMASUTRA – THE ENLIGHTENED SERIES

CATMASUTRA – THE ENLIGHTENED SERIES

4th – 19th JUNE 2008
@ ARTOHOLIC GALLERY
422 joo chiat road

Opening Hours:
monday-friday: 12pm – 7pm
saturday : 10am – 9pm

Paintings will be displayed till 19 June 2008

There was quite a bit of research that goes into these 5 paintings. I was looking for ways to represent the five elements, and in a way, imbue the paintings with the qualities of each element. Fire is an element that is filled with energy, resonating with qualities of dynamism, strength and persistence. It is very active and vibrant, and it moves outward, expanding with the potential of going into full bloom, energised by the colour red (which is associated with extreme luck). It is associated with fame and good name, and the way of making one visible in the world. It is the flame that provides warmth, creativity and enthusiasm. And there’s the fire from the heart as everything external is a reflection of the internal. And for strength and solidity, the abstraction of a stone statue of Buddha meditating, igniting the flame of fire.

As it is, the 5 elements are more phases or dynamic states of change, and as always, balance is key. An excess of fire can also burn in the destructive cycle, resulting in aggression, impatience, anger or impulsive behaviour. Our sense of self or the way the world plays out for us is a play of patterns. Each stage is always a phase, transient and ever changing; when we’re caught up in it, we never believe it to be so. haha It’s only when the phase has taken its turn, that we look back and realise that it has passed. And with that, we get older and hopefully wiser wahahahaha…

The earth element was a little more difficult to conceptualize. ‘Earth’ is a great transformer that serves as a transition between elements. It is both yin and yang, its energy moving inward and centering, drawing all things towards its core, bringing harmony, balance, rootedness and stability. It is associated with earth tones, and yellows, and qualities such as patience, thoughtfulness, hard work and stability. I included in the painting the quality of change, of seeds with the potential to grow below ground, and seeds being scattered above it. The cat lies unperturbed by the cycle of things from the invisible to the visible, secure in the grounding of the roots, and safe in the open palm…