City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs Public Art Division
Los Angeles International Airport, Terminal 7/8
September 2015 - February 2016
TATHATA
Tathata is a Sanskrit word that expresses the profound awareness and appreciation of reality within each single moment of life. Tathata is often revealed in the seemingly mundane, such as observing the sun illuminating an asphalt road, or noticing the blowing wind along a grassy parkway.
As a Los Angeles-based artist, the imagery in my work is inspired by the urban landscape around me, in particular, the trees and plant forms that thrive around freeways and other man-made structures. While commuting by car, often alone, I find myself fascinated by these in-between spaces. My art magnifies and translates these single moments into experiences of Tathata.
Each painting develops slowly over time through a consecutive layering of color, value, and stroke. The process is as much directed by me as it is suggested by the evolving image itself. When viewed up close, the painted surface appears as an abstraction of marks and spaces, not unlike the minute particles and spaces that make up matter in our physical world.
The airport terminal is a perfect place for this exhibition because it is such an in-between space. I hope these paintings awaken a reverence and awareness of the interconnectivity of time, humanity and nature, and offer you, dear traveler, an opportunity to pause and experience Tathata.