Introducing the art of Amogh Katyayan (Interview)

AMOGH KATYAYAN

DESTIG TORONTO - ART | DESIGN | TRAVEL - ISSUE 09 / JANUARY 2021

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"HOW MARVELOUS THAT THEY BROUGHT FORTH SUCH MAGNIFICIENCE FROM THEIR BRUSHES AND CHISELS." - ANONYMOUS

"Art is a passion that keeps me going. There are two main drivers for me to create. First, for me, art is meditation. When I’m working on art, the stress of day to day life disappear. I tune out everything while I am working on a piece. Second, I get a sense of true satisfaction when my art makes others happy."

0202 FO TSEB GITSED

I am an engineer by college degree and an artist by

in me, a clear sense of my responsibility towards the

heart! I paint with my unconscious mind and feelings

environment, which is depicted in many of my paintings.

to start on a blank canvas and then finish with conscious mind finding shapes and figures repressing

Your parents encouraged you to study Engineering.

current world problems or sometimes mythical

Were you always interested in art and what are your

stories.

earliest memories of creating?

Like all other Indian parents at that time, mine pushed me

You grew up in the foothills of the Himalayas in India.

to become an engineer. I joined the State Engineering

Share with us some insight into the beauty of this

College and started my career as a Project Engineer

area.

executing several different industrial projects. I am not

My father, a teacher, was stationed as in a remote

sure when exactly I first became inclined towards art, but

village deep in the Kumaun region of the Himalayas. I

I do remember a childhood story from when I was in

grew up very close to the pristine beauty of mountain

Grade 3, I painted a black butterfly and my teacher failed

ranges, valleys and glacial rivers away from all the

me, giving it a 2 out of 10! Perhaps my teacher could not

pollution of industrial areas. The air was clear, the

see the potential in me at the time. At the time, I was

water was pure, and the intimacy of nature developed

shocked by my failure. I started learning to make better

"Usually my work is influenced by my surroundings as well as local and global current events. These influences range from the Me Too movement to natural disasters in the Amazon rainforest to the day to day life of a common man."

art with help of my mother, who had

How do the two cultures - Indian and

taken some professional art courses. I got

Canadian - influence your work?

(much better, and eventually my teacher

While both cultures have significantly

circulated my art throughout the school

impacted my work, I have also had the

to show as an example of great art.

privilege to live in Southeast Asia and Europe,

which

shaped

my

thinking

You now live in Calgary, Alberta. Tell us

process as well. Usually my work is

about life in this part of Canada?

influenced by my surroundings as well as

I grew up in a small town, and as a result I

local and global current events. These

seldom find it comfortable living in big

influences range from the Me Too

cities. For me, Calgary is the perfect place

movement to natural disasters in the

to live, small enough to commute from

Amazon rainforest to the day to day life of

from one end to the other in half an hour

a common man.

and big enough to enjoy the nightlife, concerts, or sports games. It is located in

Your mother provided the nudge to

the foothills of Rocky Mountains close to

reignite your creative fire. Tell us about

Banff National Park, so there is a lot of

this and your journey to this point.

natural beauty close to home in the

This is a very interesting story! Originally,

winter and summer.

my parents pushed me to become an

engineer, a profession I have held for the past 28 years. My passion for art returned around 6 years ago when my mother decided to take an art class after putting down her brush 45 years ago. I registered her in an adult art class but since she has trouble speaking English, I sat with her as her translator. During that class the instructor also encouraged me to paint, which is when I realized that my passion for art still burned strong. Since then, I started creating art and hope to continue until I die. I can’t stop making art anymore! Over the past six years I have participated in several events, exhibitions and shows, and gained membership in several art associations and societies.

To commit to creating art at a high level, there must have been a compelling internal reward describe what creating fulfils in you?

Art is a passion that keeps me going. There are two main drivers for me to create. First, for me, art is meditation. When I’m working on art, the stress of day to day life disappear. I tune out everything while I am working on a piece.

Second, I get a sense of true satisfaction when my art makes others happy. Every time I’m at an exhibition and someone stops by to talk about my paintings, I feel a strong sense of satisfaction and pride. That feeling of creating something, whether it’s a painting or sculpture, is escalating and fulfilling.

Your series ‘Our Hero’, describes the day-today life of a common man. What inspired this and how pleased are you with the outcome?

In the news, online, and in books and movies, people emphasize the importance of leaders and superheroes. While superheroes get so much of the shine nowadays, in my opinion the real hero is the common man. True heroism is not only about moving mountains or travelling through

"While superheroes get so much of the shine nowadays, in my opinion the real hero is the common man."

the stars but also about being there for yourself, your family, and your friends. The “Our Hero” series turns the common man into a hero. He walks his dog, spends time with his family, goes on adventures, and explores spiritual side of life.

The evolving story for both you and the viewer is an important focus in your work - please shine light on this.

My art carries a message and tells a story. These are stories that I want audiences to listen to with their eyes. I don’t tend to start my paintings with any specific concepts or preconceived ideas. The story usually develops along with the work. I find shapes in the colours and textures of my paintings, influencing how the story of each painting develops. Part of the beauty of art is that viewers can develop their own story based on their unique perspective. In my view, art is about these perspectives, not absolutism.

You have compared your painting technique to "looking for images in the clouds"... what does this mean?

In my childhood, I spent a lot of time looking at the clouds, finding animals, objects, and shapes within them. My painting technique can be compared to the looking for images in the clouds. I begin with a blank canvas, and as I

"My art carries a message and tells a story. These are stories that I want the audience to listen to with their eyes."

"The story usually develops along with the work. I find shapes in the colours and textures of my paintings, influencing how the story of each painting develops. Part of the beauty of art is that viewers can develop their own story based on their unique perspective. In my view, art is about these perspectives, not absolutism."

"My technique can be compared to the looking for images in the clouds."

I layer on coats of paint create textures and colours, I start

finish this series! I am also working on an ‘Animals’ series,

to see shapes and figures emerge from the paint. This is

where animals portraits are combined with my painting

the foundation from which my paintings develop. With

techniques to create a story.

the freedom that this open-minded approach brings, my paintings takes on a life of their own. From the images I

Your work has received significant acclaim. It is rare to

that I see, my paintings take on stories, issues, and

see an artist achieve - in a short career so far - such

experiences to which others can relate.

powerful themes and masterful execution. What would you attribute your creative success to?

What are you currently working on?

I am indebted with support and encouragement from my

I am still working on my ‘Our Hero’ series. As the common

loved ones, friends and family alike. Despite the fact that

man’s action are limitless, I am not sure whether I will ever

my full-time job as an engineer leaves me with relatively

little free time, my wife has been extremely supportive of

stand yoga pose, or even a person free-falling from space!

my passion, allowing me the freedom to express myself through art. My friends, who were my first fans, always

Consider everyone: This is a very early painting in my

encouraged me by coming to my exhibitions and hanging

current style. This painting carries a message for all of us.

my art in their homes.

If you look carefully, you can see three factories competing with each other for resources as well as an

If you had to pick three artworks to define your career

open drain pouring pollutants at the bottom of the

so far - which would they be and why?

painting. Looking up, you can see the effect of the

Perspective: This was my first painting in the ‘Our Hero’

pollution in form of a dead turtle, fish and a cow skeleton.

series and was inspired by Hindu philosophy ‘Aham

Within this painting, the color red is meant to represent

Bharamasmi’ which translates to ‘I am the Divine’.

blood and destruction. Everything drawn in this painting

Essentially, this boils down to a core concept within

emerged by looking for images within the background

Hinduism, which is that the creator (God) and creation

colours and textures. The more carefully you look, the

(human) are not two separate identities but one single

more details you will find, representing the wide-scale

identity. The painting shows a human silhouette with

impact of pollution on our ecosystem.

several drawings within the body meant to represent the entirety of the universe, representing the notion that

Serenity: Serenity is inspired by the calmness of Buddha.

human and God are one. Another perspective that was

This painting represents the calm and tranquillity within

pointed out to me by a viewer is that by changing the

Buddha despite the chaos around.

orientation of the painting, it transforms from a jogger running in an empty space, or a person doing a head-

Website: www.amogh.art

"The more carefully you look, the more details you will find,"