ABOUT THE ARTWORK
Working with a wide array of materials and moving freely from one media to another, Jyoti Duwadi has created a diverse body of art that embraces both innovation and continuity. His work reflects an intimate relationship to nature and the cultures of both North America and Nepal.
Jyoti's current body of work offers a glimpse into a prolific career characterized by fluidity of style and process. The artist conveys the essence of materials and creates new identities for objects. From his abstract compositions, figural or landscape forms lyrically emerge.
PAINTINGS AND ASSEMBLAGES ON BAMBOO NANGLOS
Nanglos, circular bamboo weavings made for sifting grains in Nepal, become the ground for a series of artworks inspired by the object's round shape and individualized patterns. On the more loosely woven surfaces, Jyoti locates openings for hanging small wax sculptures.
Tightly woven nanglos are opportunities for painting with multi-hued pigments either directly on the bamboo or on mounted Nepali paper. In these earth paintings and drawings, the artist translates a personal form of visual poetry through red and ochre-colored clays and delicate tones of green, blue, and pink slates.
Jyoti defines rhythmic fields of calligraphy inspired by Native American imagery, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Tantric symbols. Through the artist's improvisational style, the glowing colors of the landscape find a new context for rediscovery.
Most recently, Jyoti has been incorporating a variety of spices and seeds from North America and Asia into his nanglos. These elements add a unique masala (mixture) of color, texture and aroma to his compositions. By transforming functional objects and materials from the environment into re-contextualized, contemporary artworks, the artist brings together aspects of nature and culture.
EARTH DRAWINGS
Drawing has always been an essential arena for Jyoti's creativity, and over the years, he has experimented with a wide range of media. In his earth drawings, the artist combines pigments, gathered from the landscape, and powdered turmeric to evoke a spontaneous form of visual poetry. Using richly colored clays and pastel shades of slates, the artist works the earth with fingers and palm directly into handmade Nepali paper. Upon this layer, he applies additional earth colors, turmeric and ink with a brush to create calligraphic fields that rhythmically animate the composition. By taking cues from plant fragments embedded in the natural fibers of the paper, Jyoti has developed a personal, improvisational approach.
At once elegant and sensual, the drawings embody both dynamism and balance.
Jyoti weaves together negative and positive space, elements of light and shade, symbols of male and female energy into designs that reflect the artist's understanding of traditional Buddhist and Hindu art. Open to multiple interpretations, these works can be appreciated for their beauty and affirmation of life.
EARTH DRAWINGS INTO DIGITAL PRINTS
Jyoti often expands his earth drawings into the realm of digital technology, which gives him an opportunity to contrast two different approaches to making art - one rooted in a prehistoric creative process, and the other based on new media tools. These two bodies of work converge to explore the connections between nature and technology,
The imagery, inspired by Tantric art, reflects the influence of the artist's Nepali heritage where art and ritual are part of daily life. The symbolism associated with abstract forms express a spiritual dimension that is universal to all cultures. Using earth and the computer, two seemingly incongruous elements, the artist interprets a compelling juncture in the history of the human experience.