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PRAKAASH CHANDWADKAR - A PILGRIM'S PROGRESS
"Art is the visualization of constant change, painting is medication, painting is the joy of seeking contact with eternity, with the universal force". Prakaash Chandwadkar, 2002.
Prakaash Chandwadkar came to Nepal seven years ago from India and has made Kathmandu his spiritual and inspirational home. Over these years, the Siddhartha Art Gallery has been showcasing the Artist's visual exploration and the metamorphosis of his work as an artist and as a pilgrim on a voyage of self discovery.
Prakaash's first exhibition at the Gallery, "Leaves" constituted a graphic and playful exploration with leaves, with nature and Nepali paper. However by the following year, a significant change was to occur in the artist's work. His exhibition in 2000, "From the Bodhi Tree" reveals the Artist's encounter with Buddhist philosophy. Why the Bodhi Tree? The Bodhi Tree is associated with the place of Buddha's enlightenment and Prakaash uses this indicating as the central theme for his exhibition. The dried leaves of the Bodhi tree are used to create meditational and spiritual spaces within the Artist's canvas.
In 2001, the world witnesses the wanton destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas Afghanistan by the Taliban. Prakaash dedicated his paintings and installation that year to the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan. In 2002, Prakaash exhibited "Shakti Sthal" or "seats of power". This exhibition showcased the artist's exploration of the incredible legacy of faith bequeathed to us by our Hindu and Buddhist ancestors. In order to comprehend why people were drawn to these power seats Prakaash visited stupas, gompas and over1200 temples in the valley. This exploration was to result in a powerful exhibition in which the Artist sought to explore the energy drawn from Pujas/worship and the mantra "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" (Truth and Shiva/God are beautiful) and how with a simple act of faith and an intrinsic reverence for nature, a rock is transformed into a shakti sthal, with the bare minimum: red earth, two flowers, vermilion and incense sticks.
In Prakaash's exhibition "Personal Encounters on the Journey of Life, 2003", the Buddha remerges as the grand subject of the Artist's inspiration. The Buddhas represented in this series move in and beyond Lumbini and Afghanistan to encompass the Buddhas of Ajanta and Elora in India, Sri Lanka, Tibet, China, Thailand, Kamuchea and Borrobodur in Indonesia.
"Personal Encounters on the Journey of Life" embraces the areas where the message of the Buddha was encountered to transform entire societies and individual lives. For Prakaash the message of the Buddha is eternal and his teachings more significant than ever before. Prakaash's convictions arose from the study of Buddhist philosophy which preaches that each person has the capacity to realize or encounter the Buddha-Nature that resides within himself. This Buddha-Nature or "Budhatotwa" represents an enlightened state free of grasping, ignorance, greed and aggression. It marks a departure from materialism and embraces compassion and "ahimsa" the concept of nom-violence.It is interesting to note that in his own lifetime, the Buddha forbade the physical representation of his form considering it distraction from his teaching. The Buddha said: Don't look to me but towards the goal of which I point"And yet the Buddha continues to inspire artists to paint his form. Prakaash's paintings of the Buddha are not portraits or parables. Prakaash uses mixed media as his medium in this incredible exhibition of Buddhas. Bodhi leaves emerge again, direct photo transfer onto canvas, reminiscent of his "Shakti Sthal" exhibition, gold leaves from Thailand and China embellish his canvas, while Tibetan kitup applique pieces adorn his canvas to lend and decorative richness to his work. In some of his paintings, the earthy richness of colours evocative of the Ajanta and Elora caves dominate the canvas. In some, the splattering of colours on the canvas are evokative of the feeling of puja.Prakaash seeks render the Buddha as a human figure. Each painting captures a different mood of the Buddha. Prakaash paints the Buddha as a simple young Prince before attaining enlightenment, as the embodiment of male/female self, as the Buddha in mediation, as a compassionate individual spreading the message of peace. For Prakaash's ultimate aim with this exhibition is to create paintings that instill and evoke a feeling of peace and mediation.I would like to conclude by quoting, Ian Baker, the Tibet expert and Buddhist scholar "The Seeds of enlightenment dwell within all of us, irrespective of our culture and religion, and great works of art can awaken us to this supreme reality. In this Buddhist tradition, painted images and graven forms are not objects of worship but exalted mirrors of our own limitless and innermost potential."
Sangeeta Thapa, Art Curator / Director Siddhartha Art Gallery,



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