Latest book project for Chinese Contemporary artist Luo Qi (published in Canada)

Preface

In the Talmud (and perhaps modified by the writer Anais Nin, 1961) we learn that …“We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.” i.e. what we see is tempered by our capacity to observe based on who and how we are. The creative individual who is the Chinese avant-garde artist Luo Qi (poet, musician and man for most, if not all, West Lake seasons), reflects the world back to itself by using what he cognises, and challengingly re-presents his cognitions back to us, his awaiting public.

It is therefore a great honour and privilege to have been, and continue to be, associated with the globally masterful Chinese avant-garde artist, Luo Qi. In this volume, my words cannot possibly do justice to the image making and textual revelations which Luo Qi brings to his creations through Chinese logographic writing (calligraphy), calligraphy-ism and asemic writing intimations, but I do try to give some gist, some essence of this maestro’s intriguing works.

Hailing from the cultural West Lake (so beloved of poets and artists) in Luo Qi’s home city of Hangzhou within China’s Zhejiang province, Luo Qi has travelled with his work to a vast array of countries, including one of the seats of Western culture, Italy, and meanwhile delving into the mediaeval age along the way, as well as bringing together copious artists in annual exhibitions concerning Asia/African & Mediterranean art and artists including those from Australia, France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Luxembourg, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mauritius, Madagascar,Thailand, Singapore, Brunei et al.

Here, I am delighted for you to find a collation of my writings about Luo Qi as he and I have ‘journeyed’ together over the past few years.

Martin A Bradley, Colchester, England, May 2022.

Short film project for Indian artist Papia Ghoshal

https://fb.watch/dsfLqk8zMm/

The Kolkata born Indian artist Papia Ghoshal, spreads her copious talents sublimely across the arts. For not only is she known for her stunning paintings, drawn from the spiritually female and incorporating not only images, subtexts, signs, symbols and metaphoric elements, but bodily fluids too. I’ll come back to that.

Papia’s Baul singing and modernist Indian poetry demonstrate other talents and, as a spiritual leader, she revels in her ability to capture an audience in prayer as well as with singing, dancing and her acting talents, while engaging us all on multiple creative levels.

She is a Bohemian who has been living in Prague’s Bohemia, but also a Bohemian in spirit as are most who follow the Bengali Baul lifestyle and culture.

As a painter, Papia follows an Indian Modernist tradition of female painters from Amrita Sher-Gill onwards. Unlike Sher-Gill Papia doesn’t follow the same School of Paris figurative style, born of Gauguin that Sher-Gill followed in her imagery depicting suburban and rural India.

Instead, Papia weaves tantric abstracts which may incorporate her menstrual fluid and semen from intrigued donors. The addition of bodily fluids adds extra dimensions to her work, enabling audiences to relate to her presentations on a number of levels, Contemporary Art being but one.