Sohan Qadri Indian, 1932-2011
“When I start on a painting, first I empty my mind of all images. They dissolve into primordial space. Only emptiness, I feel, should communicate with emptiness of the canvas.”
Sohan Qadri
Sohan Qadri was born in Punjab, India, in 1932. The late artist found inspiration in two spiritualists: Ahmed Ali Shah Qadri, a Sufi, and Bikham Giri, a Bengali Tantric-Vajrayan yogi.
The colourful and ethereal dye paintings on paper by Qadri evoke the spiritual bounty of India. The recurrent patterns of dots and striations that undulate over the material represent the rhythmic motions of "colour energy." Each piece's surfaces are transformed into luscious pools by rich ochre, cerulean, red, or saffron dyes.
Qadri has performed more than 40 solo shows all around the world. He was the winner of numerous honours.
