"Spatial Explorations" - Vernissage by Manish

Manish's art delves into the intricate ways time shapes memories and their connection to existentialangst, often tied to the quest for one's place in life. Central to his work is the exploration of identity,deeply influenced by his experiences as an immigrant and a gay Person of Color.

Navigating the complexities of marginalization, discrimination, and confronting phobias, Manish'sart challenges stereotypes and clichés based on appearance. His work, collectively referred to as'Spatial Explorations,' seeks to find a space devoid of specific national, racial, or communalidentities. In these spaces, he embraces the freedom to exist beyond labels, where he can be anyone,free from cultural or societal constraints. Here, Manish is neither gay nor straight, male nor female—just an uninhibited soul harnessing his artistic potential, with his name as his sole possession.

The trauma of an uprooted childhood, marked by travels across three continents and life in elevencities, profoundly shapes his artistic expressions. His works echo the subjective nature ofexperiences and memories, akin to the perspectives in Kurosawa's *Rashomon*, where variouscharacters offer alternative and contradictory versions of the same event. Translating this intopainting, drawing, and sculpture is both challenging and rewarding.

Manish's primary concern lies in uncovering beauty through materials, layering, textures, andtechniques like scratching, painting, and sanding surfaces of canvas, wood, and paper. What liesbeneath the surface, beyond the obvious, captivates him.His creative process is deeply intertwined with doubts, vulnerabilities, fears, and insecurities.Memories resurface, transforming into shades, textures, and forms. This process, governed by theunconscious, dictates the final outcome. The everyday and his perceptions of the world merge tobirth the unknown, as his works seldom follow pre-determined plans, relying instead on trial anderror, impulses, and instincts.

In embracing the chaos and uncertainty of his creative journey, Manish's art stands as a testament tothe power of resilience and the endless search for identity and meaning.

About the Host

Manish is an Indian-Canadian interdisciplinary artist, encompassing both the realms ofpainting and contemporary dance. Born in India in 1970, his creative journey led him toCanada in 2001, before settling in the vibrant artistic landscape of Berlin, Germany in 2007. Guided by an intuitive and instinctual creative process, Manish draws inspiration from hisextensive travels and personal experiences. His oeuvre reflects a profound engagement withthe interplay between internal landscapes and external stimuli, a dialogue echoed in thenuanced exploration of space within his works. Delving into the subtle nuances of humanemotion and psyche, his artistry serves as a conduit for introspection, imbued with themes ofsilence, contemplation, longing, and wonder. Aesthetically, Manish’s practice finds resonancein the ethos of minimalism, often eschewing figurative elements in favor of a pureengagement with form and color. Influenced by a pantheon of artistic luminaries including Richter, Turner, Twombly, Rothko, Hokusai, Ghenie, and Kiefer, his work traverses diversemediums such as acrylic, oil, oil pastel, ink, paper, and found materials, meticulously layeredupon canvas, paper, and wooden panels. Beyond the confines of his studio, Manish’scommitment to sustainability permeates his artistic ethos. Embracing the ethos of upcycling,he repurposes objects and materials sourced from his local environment in Berlin, infusing hispractice with a sense of environmental stewardship and ethical consciousness.

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