Bio
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Nishma Gopaul is a multi-disciplinary artist currently residing in Calgary, Alberta. She was born and raised in Mauritius where she studied classical indian dance (Bharatanatyam) and music.
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She moved to Toronto, where she was an active member in the artist community. She started showing in art fairs and group shows as a self taught painter, developing a passion for the visual arts.
Later moving to Calgary earning a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts at the Alberta University of the Arts where her practice deepened gearing towards contemporary visual arts including painting, textile surface design, sculpture and installation.
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Photograph by Jonathan Creese
Artist Statement
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My practice explores the tension between control and surrender through mechanized mark-making processes. By building custom painting tools, including a motorized painting machine, I engage with the unpredictable nature of material interactions. The ideas behind this work are influenced by the meditative aspects of control and letting go combined with the observation of a world where every aspect of human existence is increasingly mediated by machines.
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I see this painting process as a reflection of integrating a meditative practice in daily mundane life. My experience of meditation involves taking time to be in the stillness of the mind in order to bring awareness to the present moment. Sometimes, this process could be addressing specific states of mind, belief systems or just being grateful for being alive despite the challenges of life. This consistent meditation practice teaches me that the only thing I can control is myself and, paradoxically, how to let go. The marks made by the machine mimics what I see as thought processes; consistency in thoughts over a period of time becomes a habit and eventually becomes part of a person.
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If I use the same parameters on the same surface over a period of time, the consistent volatile marks that the machine makes create an ethereal landscape. The more layers added, the more complex the composition becomes, simulating the effects of consistent thought processes. This translates into a visual language illustrating the landscape of the mind in relation to thought.
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My recent series explores the sometimes automatic but human subtleties of human emotions both in relation to oneself and external forces. While the machine makes the marks, my human hand controls every other aspect of the work. The dance of control and letting go in the whole process in the making of the work reflects the complexities of human relationships, their nuances, and the thrusts and tugs of control and letting go that make life so interesting.