Interview
Rajul Shah
Rajul moved to Japan in 2012 after retiring from her first career in healthcare. She trained extensively across all media, including sumi-e/Nihonga for 7 years between the Tokyo Campus of Temple’s Tyler School of Art and Professional/Studio workshops. Rajul moved to Singapore in 2019. Her works have been shown in national and international juried shows, including the Tokyo Tower Art Fair, the ION Orchard Gallery in Singapore, the Ueno No Mori Art Museum (Royal Art Museum) in Japan, the National Art Gallery in Tokyo, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno, the Intercontinental Hotel In Osaka and the ANA Crowne Plaza hotel in Kobe. Rajul’s artworks reside among private collections in the USA, Singapore, Japan, India, Hong Kong and Australia.
Her paintings have also been publicly displayed in the corporate offices of the German Centre – Singapore, the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, Metlife Japan, and Blue Bay Consulting in Tokyo.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Before I became an artist, I worked in the healthcare industry for 20 years across different disease areas. I moved to Japan in 2012 and trained extensively across all media, including sumi-e/Nihonga for 7 years between the Tokyo Campus of Temple’s Tyler School of Art and Professional/studio workshops under local Masters. I moved to Singapore in 2019, just before the pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, I kept creating and entered my work into international juried online shows; where I was fortunate to receive honorable mentions and other awards for my work. Since then, I have been re-launching myself as an artist in Southeast Asia.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“I have carried on the intention of helping people heal from my first career into my art career. My work is a fusion of philosophies between the Japanese Art of Kintsugi and the Spiritual world of the Chakras. Through the emotional resonance of color, I communicate resilience, renewal, re-generation, healing and strength. The art of Kintsugi, is a practice of mending broken pottery with lacquer mixed with precious metals. Through this process, the once-flawed object becomes a work of art, each golden seam celebrating its history and resilience. I draw inspiration from Kintsugi as a metaphor for the human journey. We, too, bear the scars of life’s trials and tribulations. These scars; like the cracks in pottery, tell our unique stories and signify our strength. For me, the concept of chakras, energy centers within our being, aligns beautifully with the idea of kintsugi. Just as kintsugi restores broken pottery, balancing and healing our chakras helps us mend the energy imbalances with in us. Each chakra is represented by a distinct color, symbolizing a different aspect of our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. My art explores the harmonious relationship between these energy centers and their corresponding colors.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“I start with a rough vision of what I want an artwork to look like. I consider myself a spontaneous painter – once I paint a layer – I allow it to tell me what and how the subsequent layer can complement what’s there. My artworks have several layers of application before they are complete.”
Are there any art world trends are you following?
“I have been following many artists on social media, especially Instagram. It is interesting to see how they present their artwork and talk about it. I am especially inspired by so much of the artwork I see. There is so much talent, I love seeing how other artists use color, texture and materials to create their artwork.”
“I have carried on the intention of helping people heal from my first career into my art career.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I do not limit myself to select materials. Instead, I use whatever materials or media inspire me as I create my artwork. Substrates can include canvas, wood, paper and/or a combination of these and other textile materials. Much of my artwork includes some form of gold, silver and/or metal leaf. I also enjoy experimenting with other substrates, such as Tree Bark Paper and Papyrus. As a tactile artist, I enjoy working with different textures and will often lay down the first few layers of media with my hands to create more intimate connections with my art. I enjoy feeling the paint between my fingers as I lay down colors on the substrate. At times, I will sandpaper layers of paint back to reveal the colors and/or patterns underneath. I work with oil, acrylic, gouache, and watercolor paint mediums combined with gold, silver and other metal leaf, across western and Japanese brush strokes.”
What does your art mean to you?
“Art is an aesthetic and beautiful way to communicate and receive how others interpret the world around them. Whether the method is via paintings, sculpture, installations, music, architecture, or even how a plate of food is presented – art activates all of our senses – sound, smell, sight, touch, taste. Art helps to change the world around us and encourages us to consider "differently" that which we thought we knew. To me, that is the ultimate human experience.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I am inspired by so many artists, writers and musicians. The masters, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Klimt; more contemporary artists like Yayoi Kusuma, Rothko; Indian contemporary artists like M. F. Hussein, F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza. I love Japanese woodblock prints, especially Hokusai's collection of 36 views of Mt. Fuji. I also love Japanese brush paintings. If you are asking me to pick my favorite artwork that I have created. Thus far, it would be “Intuition.” This is a 12 x 12 inch painting of acrylic & 23kt Gold Leaf on Wood. It represents the 6th chakra and basically inspires us to embrace, learn and evolve from imperfect life experiences through reflections, introspection, insight and intuition.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My first exhibition was in 2016, followed by a national juried show at the National Art Gallery in Tokyo in 2018. Being accepted to show my work at the 82nd Annual Shinseisaku Exhibition helped me launch my art career. This was followed by an honorable mention at the 49th Annual Genyou-ten Exhibition which showed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno; and another juried acceptance at the 32nd Annual National Japanese Exhibition of Nature at the Ueno No Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.”
