Text and photos by Ashim Shakya

Art to me is destiny, destiny whose destination is its viewers. And I have always believed that, as an artist, it is my job to fulfil the destiny of spectators.

The primary objective of my work has always been to find a medium to communicate my emotions. Art is perception. Our minds are like workshops—working ceaselessly to put ideas into visual reflections. And art is the medium through which I bring my subconscious to life. My art is, in many ways, my salvation.

Along the way, people have appreciated my work, and while that does makes me feel like I have achieved something, it is each time someone relates their reality with my confusions that I feel most successful. I believe making art is a responsibility. And in my work, I have put forth nothing more than my renditions of the society we live in. As most of my works are based on the ongoing scenarios of my surroundings, people have been able to connect to them, something I feel good and bad about, in equal parts, at the same time.

All of my projects have a strong inclination to my subconscious, which is perhaps my greatest source of inspiration. From the decade of work I have done as a professional artist, the digital paintings and calligraphy that I started four years ago and the artworks based on the earthquakes of last year and the economic blockade are presented here.

I am always very particular and try to incorporate my sentiments in even the smallest of details.

I love to work on a series of artworks than a single piece. Working on my art in instalments gives me more room to reflect on my work and what I’m trying to express. The sequence though may connect mutual expressions from any time period randomly.

I love to express my subconscious through various mediums such as photographic manipulations, digital paintings, 3D artworks, calligraphy, music and other mediums. The world is a canvas and I’m just another tiny brush trying to paint a few strokes.

(Shakya is an art director and a musician)