“It’s a privileged, harder and beautiful existence living as one” Jeremy Sharma says about life as an artist. A multi-disciplinary artist whose series – The Protection Paintings – is currently showing at the Esplanade, Sharma projects a passion for his work that’s palpable in its intensity.

Art was not always an obvious choice for him, though. “I wanted to be a pilot like all kids as a child, then I really wanted to write or be a musician. I fell into art or if you like, art chose me,” the artist says.

Sharma, who completed his Master of Art (Fine Art) at LASALLE-SIA College of The Arts Singapore, says he initially went to art school for “all the wrong and cool reasons.”

“But I realized art made me feel good and express myself better,” he quickly qualifies.

In spite of meeting with many obstacles in his decision to pursue an arts education, there was no turning back for Sharma, who won the 1999 Della Butcher Award (Singapore) for excellence in painting and has gone on to perform and exhibit in Singapore, KL, London and Seoul.

Music, text, and multimedia form an important part of his art practice. Having co-founded the rock band Tiramisu, art collective Kill Your Television, and produced several albums of experimental music, Sharma also founded and currently manages The Lacunas of Grace, a multi-disciplinary art showcase.

On what impact his work may have on viewers, he says, “I can’t imagine, my imagination is different from others. But people have expressed how overwhelmed they felt when they see my work, that is the best compliment anyone can have rather than ‘interesting’ or beautiful’ or ‘you are really good’.”

Sharma enjoys aspects of living and working in Singapore like its smallness, safety and ease of accessibility. At times though, he finds that it can be “a bit too sterile and formulaic.”

This may well provide an impetus for some of his work. A quote from his Artist’s Statement says: “My paintings serve as reactions against a very pre-meditated and sterile environment. They are a critique on modernity.”

“Everything here is planned,” he elaborates. “Some of the greatest, most inspiring art came from adversity and spontaneity. Art should not be planned too much like science and engineering. An artist friend told me that art is about life and I agree.”

He acknowledges, though, that there is no ideal environment. “Idealism doesn’t exist, they remain ideals. It’s reaching your ideals, the action which is more important. An environment cannot remain stagnant, even the universe is constantly expanding. Ideals change.”

The Protection Paintings: Of Sensations and Superscriptions is made up of a collection of paintings and drawings dealing with the theme of protection.

When asked what he was mainly trying to explore in it, Sharma replies, “That we try to protect ourselves too much from everything that we stop becoming human. “

“A culmination of themes throughout the years ranging from the idea of the human gaze in a painting, the idea of an event or catastrophe in a painting, the idea of sensation in a painting,” he says, explaining his motivations behind this body of work.

“’Protection’ is an umbrella to cover these themes.”

In the intimate space of the Jendela gallery, the series takes on a heightened personal feel. There is a heady quality to the emotional spontaneity of the pieces- an uncontrived rawness.

“To be alone and contemplative,” as Sharma puts it, is definitely a good way to get the most out of viewing his paintings.

“The thing that excites me most about painting is the most ambiguous part,” he states, “the element that keeps me painting and setting up more ‘traps’ to reveal that which could not be consciously intended.”

Standing in front of his work, you need only let your mind wander into the paintings to catch a sense of that excitement.

Asked what he wishes his art to be remembered for, Sharma answers confidently “Art that rocks.”

Faced with the colors, hallucinatory imagery, words that appear and re-appear across the paintings like fragments of sound- it’s easy to imagine these works as the visual equivalent of a rock concert for the mind. See it to feel it for yourself.

The Protection Paintings: Of Sensations and Superscriptions is currently showing till 29th June at Jendela, the Visual Arts Space on the 2nd level of the Esplanade.

For more information on Jeremy Sharma visit his site at www.thelacunasofgrace.com.

You’ll be able to find images of his various works along with his thoughts and writings which provide a key to your further understanding and appreciation.

Contributor’s bio: Weixin writes, draws, reads, and avidly pursues multiple interests, including visual art, music, literature and design. She is resuming her studies at Lasalle this August in the B.A.(Hons) program for Fine Arts, Printmaking.