MY EARLIEST RECOLLECTIONS OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION were as a child
growing up in a logging camp on Vancouver Island. I was fortunate to be able
to watch the First Nation Canadian Master Totem Pole carver Mungo Martin at
work on his artistic creations. Though I was too young to know of Mr. Martin’s
esteemed place in the world of native and cultural art, I was still always
fascinated by the visions of mythical beings emerging from what I knew to be
simply tree trunks and logs. In seeing this ubiquitous form of artwork around
the island, I believe that even as a child, I intuited the fact that these totemic
forms marked Time, Space and Place yet still pointed to other mythical/mystical
realms.
Indeed, living on an island perhaps increased my sense of the mythic realms of
the world, as the world was something that was still “out there” to be explored.
Since then, I have been fortunate to travel to many different countries and
experience firsthand their cultures, art, music, histories and philosophies.
As an artist it is often challenging for me to put into words what I hope viewers
to “get” from seeing my works, so I will have to ally myself with the model of the
Mystic Poet. It has been said that Philosophers remain in the time/space
continuum of place and culture, speculating and making conjectural thoughts
regarding all the varied realms of consciousness. In contrast to this, the Mystic
Poet will delve beyond time and space into a fluidic realm of consciousness,
where past and future commingle in the present moment free of limiting cultural
contexts. It is not uncommon for these mystical visions to be beyond
description, so often they will be veiled in poetry or artwork. The inspiration for
my artworks seems to come from this realm of unified space/time as my
creative process is often punctuated by periods of meditative silence which are
followed by intense bursts of creativity.
In reflecting further on my process, I realize this is much like the silent spaces
between the notes in a piece of music. Music makes a linear progression from
start to finish and is punctuated with many “unheard” silent moments. Though
we do not consciously hear these “voids”, they do exist making a musical piece
complete. However, the listener cannot hear a piece of music in its entirety in a
single moment; they must take the journey from start to finish and gain insight
and experience along the way. It is the exploration of these voids that I find
most intriguing. Today’s world fusion music also alludes to the transcendence
and flux of space time by echoing both ancient and futuristic sounds and
melding beyond specific cultures.
I often hesitate to give names to my artworks of even to confine them in
frames. Titles are often a concession made to assist the viewer in establishing
a reference point and rapport with the work.
I have been told that my works are often best seen in the way that a Japanese
Zen “koan” is presented to the logical mind. If one is asked “what is the sound
of one hand clapping”, immediately the logical mind will begin to tackle the
problem in the mediums of time and space. However, there may come and
instant when logic fails and time suspends and flashes of truth and insight
prevail.
After hearing many different interpretations of my artworks from many viewers,
I am pleased to know that the works can inspire varied insights, unlike a
photograph which takes a moment of time and simply freezes it. In other words,
it is often best to approach the works without preconceptions, not even looking
at the information card that says the work is; “this many inches by that many
inches, done in this medium, entitled this”… instead, simply be drawn by the
art. The works are imbued with the fluid consciousness of the universe which
created them and I invite and welcome the viewers to look, be inspired and let
the journey take them where it will.
Brahmi Sardar-Warich ▪ Artist
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