Haren Vakil presents
Weird and Whimsical: Drawings and Paintings
Haren Vakil presents
Weird and Whimsical: Drawings and Paintings
A solo show at Gage Gallery September 11-22, 2018
Opening celebration is Tuesday September 11, 5-7pm
Opening celebration is Tuesday September 11, 5-7pm
Haren Vakil has painted professionally in Victoria since the mid-nineties, delighting audiences with his unmistakable visual musings. The last time I visited Vakil’s studio, the artist was preparing for a show at Fran Willis Gallery. That was a few years ago. Today, the artist appears just as buoyant and enthusiastic. Vakil’s studio is a creative place bustling with activity and natural light. His abundant art materials are neatly stowed in drawers. On the counters are stacks of completed drawings and paintings, some matted and framed. There are posters and memorabilia on the walls. A fascinating frieze of duplicated drawings wraps around the room.
Vakil is busy organizing his September show at the Gage Gallery. On the desk is graph paper, cut up and taped down to represent a 2D version of the walls at Gage. His background in architecture is evident as he moves around the small blue squares of paper representing paintings. He’s a prolific artist with an extensive collection, so must pick and choose
according to space available. Vakil joined the Gage Gallery last year and is pleased to be part of the collective. “I like talking with the other artists,” he says, “planning our shows and being part of the group.” After Fran Willis Gallery he was with Winchester Galleries for several years. He participates in the Sidney Fine Art show and received a Juror’s Choice Award at Sooke Fine Art. In 2011, he exhibited in a group show curated by Mica Marsh at the AGGV, titled Delightfully Absurd.
according to space available. Vakil joined the Gage Gallery last year and is pleased to be part of the collective. “I like talking with the other artists,” he says, “planning our shows and being part of the group.” After Fran Willis Gallery he was with Winchester Galleries for several years. He participates in the Sidney Fine Art show and received a Juror’s Choice Award at Sooke Fine Art. In 2011, he exhibited in a group show curated by Mica Marsh at the AGGV, titled Delightfully Absurd.
Connecting with people through his art creates happiness for Vakil. Recently, he painted a friend's garage door. The Oak Bay News picked up the story (July 17, 2018) and included a video of the event. His fantastical cards sell at the AGGV’s gift shop. Each year, he celebrates creativity with other artists at the Moss Street Paint In. Picture Perfect Gallery on Shelbourne has recently expanded and is exhibiting several framed originals by the artist. They also carry Vakil’s art cards and prints.
Vakil was born in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) a large city on the west coast of India. With 15 million inhabitants, the city is a study in contrasts. Mumbai boasts more billionaires per capita and the most expensive house in the world. It also has the biggest urban slum in existence and an humungous garbage problem. “India is a surreal place,” says Vakil, “the juxtaposition of modern and traditional, sacred and profane is ongoing and profound.” The art of survival happens everywhere. Walking through a market place, he’s always impressed by the creative energy each vendor puts into visual presentation. No matter if they are selling locks, watches or bananas.
Growing up in Mumbai, his professional family encouraged education and he received art lessons from age seven. He later trained as an architect and worked for 12 years in vancouver, some of the time with Arthur Erickson. Vakil has always doodled and finds the process of working with line and pattern endlessly interesting. “There is no underlying message or narrative in my artwork,” he says. His purpose is simple: to enjoy mark making in a surrealist style, one of the major art forms of the 20th century. The Manifesto of Surrealism was formally established in 1924 by André Breton. This detailed document offers abundant reasons for abandoning traditional art and writing forms. Instead, images from the subconscious and dream world weave an otherworldly, irrational atmosphere.
“Beloved imagination, what I most like in you is your unsparing quality,” wrote Breton in 1924.
“Beloved imagination, what I most like in you is your unsparing quality,” wrote Breton in 1924.
Vakil’s other influences include India’s rich and diverse cultural history. His homeland has 35 states, each with unique styles of folk-art. Vakil’s collection of tribal art shows the vibrant colours and intricate patterning used for decoration and storytelling. The pictorial imagery of Inuit art appeals to his minimalism sensibilities.
Vakil is a mixed media artist who uses a variety of mediums: water soluble graphite pencils, wax and pencil crayons, acrylic paints and inks of various colours. For this exhibition, he is experimenting with Yupo paper. The smooth texture of Yupo offers a resilient ground for ink washes. “I have to use different techniques with this paper,” he says, “paint in a looser style with my various pigments.” The artist takes care to map out the design elements in a large painting. He sometimes uses tracing paper to add shapes to an evolving painting. This process allows him to survey the results without altering the original painting below.
Vakil shows no signs of slowing down and has no worries about aging. I’m a fatalist, he says, what’s meant to happen, will happen, so why worry about it? Many people in India share similar philosophies of life, he adds, seeing existence as a great turning wheel of lifetimes and learnings. Perhaps this qualifies Haren Vakil as one of André Breton’s ideal artists:
“He reads himself like an open book, and does nothing to retain the pages, which fly away in the windy wake of his life.” (Breton, 1924)
“He reads himself like an open book, and does nothing to retain the pages, which fly away in the windy wake of his life.” (Breton, 1924)
Haren Vakil welcomes your interest in his artwork. Please email [email protected].
Gage Gallery is located at 2031 Oak Bay Ave in Victoria.
Gage Gallery is located at 2031 Oak Bay Ave in Victoria.
Haren's opening on Sept 11 was a lively affair, a gathering of colleagues, family and friends. Some photos are below.
Web Design, Content and Selected Photos by Kate Cino Kate is an arts writer published in Focus, Yam and Boulevard. She has a History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from UVic. |
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