Curatorial Note

“Stillness is not the absence or negation of energy, life, or movement. Stillness is dynamic.”  — Erich Schiffmann

‘Still Form’. The phrase tumbled out during my first significant interaction with Alok. There was a quiet energy in the still lifes and a sense of calm repose in the male forms. What brings this together is a question I’ve pondered over these last months. The answer didn’t come as a flash or an epiphany but revealed itself in layers, much like Alok’s works and words.

There is a sense of dynamic stillness in these works: they depict everyday objects and people — mundane, and to the aesthete brought up on a steady dose of conceptual art, perhaps even pedestrian. On deeper reflection, this is far from the truth. There is a sense of intimacy in his still lifes that imbues the works with an energy that elevates them beyond mere objects. They are a window into a life lived, or a life wished to be lived. At the same time, the male forms, while dynamic and even kinetic, possess a delicate sense of intimate detachment that allows the viewer to step into a frozen moment in time. In sum: Still Form.

Jaiveer Johal

Artist Note

‘If you rush to discover the secrets, you will destroy everything. 

But if you wait, they shall be revealed, and you will know everything.’ 

– A tiny reflection from my notebook.

There are two quotes I have always stood by: ‘Trust the process’ and ‘Impatience is the only sin.’ In nearly two decades, I have worked in two distinct areas: Still Life and The Male Form. 

Still Life because I am intrigued, fascinated and sometimes moved by the simplest of objects around me; they reveal so much about life. I do not question why; I simply jot down the idea or make an image of them. I live with this for some time and see if it leaves me or sticks around, when, without much thought, it transforms into a painting. While I am working on a piece I do not think or worry about ‘what’s next.’ 

The Male Form comes from more personal and spiritual reflections on life. I am often asked ‘why?’ There’s no reason or explanation. I am an artist who is inspired by male forms, bare, because there lies power in vulnerability.  

As for materials; each one has its own inherent nature which aligns with the need to convey unheard emotions, thoughts and processes. That’s when a work happens. It is the same faith, trust and constant practice that help me move a step closer and deeper.

Making art is the purest form of living for me.

Alok Johri