1X1 Art Gallery presents a retrospective of the most iconic works by famous Indian artist Sohan Qadri. This show offers visitors an immersive experience into Qadri’s meditative art, where abstraction and transcendence harmonise. Featuring vivid colours and rhythmic patterns, the displayed collection invites one on a hypnotic journey of serenity and self-reflection. The exhibition will be open to the public until 31 January 2025.
Sohan Qadri’s journey into spirituality began early. At the age of seven, he was initiated into yogic practices by two spiritual mentors, Bikham Giri and Ahmed Ali Shah Qadri, which profoundly influenced his artistic vision. He embraced an ascetic life, travelling extensively through the Himalayan regions of India and Tibet, spending months in monasteries. In 1965, his global travels took him to East Africa, North America, France, and Germany, eventually leading him to settle in Copenhagen (Denmark).
In Copenhagen, Qadri began experimenting with natural dyes on handmade paper, a medium through which he expressed his quest for higher consciousness and energy flow. His works, characterised by their repetitive and rhythmic patterns, reflect his understanding of creativity as a meditative and transcendent act.
Qadri’s distinctive technique involved carving rhythmic incisions into thick paper, creating a tactile surface that evoked the cadence of breathing. He soaked the paper in liquid dyes to transform it from a flat surface into a textured, 3D medium. This process, rooted in his yogic practices, gave life to luminous, monochrome works imbued with tranquility and spiritual depth.
About the artist
Sohan Qadri (b. 1932, Chachoki, Punjab, India — 2011), who earned his MFA from the Government College of Art in Simla (India) in 1960, is renowned for distilling Tantric symbolism and philosophy into an abstract, modernist language, using bold areas of vibrant colour. While his early career focused on oil on canvas, he transitioned to working exclusively with paper from the 1970s onward.
The artist has showcased his art in more than 40 exhibitions held across the globe: in India, Austria, Belgium, the UK, Norway, Sweden, Canada, the USA, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Poland, and Kenya. His art pieces are part of multiple public collections, which include those of the British Museum (London, UK), the Brooklyn Museum (New York, USA), the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada), and the National Gallery of Modern Art (New Delhi, India), to name a few. Qadri’s works can also be found in the private collections of Cirque du Soleil, Heinrich Böll, and Dr. Robert Thurman. His accolades include the IAAPA Award (Toronto, 1982) and the Award in Painting from the Lalit Kala Akademi (New Delhi, 1968).
To learn more about Qadri’s solo exhibition at 1X1 Art Gallery, please visit its official web page.
You might also be interested in exploring Your Sun That Kept Setting, Chafa Ghaddar’s solo show.
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