Elsa Angel Rose
Jasper Daniel, a passionate artist from Chennai, has recently moved to Panjim with his wife to establish an art space where people can come together to view his work, connect, and share meaningful experiences. The exhibition opens today and goes till the 29th of this month at the 15/9 Gallery on the second floor of Aparna apartments in Dr Atmaram Borkar Road, in Panjim.
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‘15 BY 9’ ART SPACE IS A HOME TURNED GALLERY He did not search for galleries, did not connect with collectors; Jasper made their rented apartment a shrine for his paintings. “I live in Karwar, where I have my own house, but for artistic reasons, my wife and I moved to Panjim. We’ve taken up a very small space where we both work. Recently, we cleared the space for three days and set up an exhibition. It’s a very small place, and it’s called ‘15 by 9,’ which is the size of the apartment. The place itself is ideal, there are many artists around, and I live close to the heart of the city,” said Jasper. Turning his home into a gallery offers visitors a more intimate experience, giving them the opportunity to connect with and learn more about fellow art enthusiasts. “There are so many artists around, maybe they could drop in for a cup of coffee, talk to us about their work, and take a look at ours. I hope people will want to come and see it, maybe if they like any, they can buy paintings, or simply connect with us. In a way, you could say we’ve set up this exhibition entirely on our own,” said Jasper.
WHY JASPER CALLS HIS EXHIBITION ‘WHAT REMAINS’? ‘What Remains’ collection represents what survives after everything else has changed, relating this idea to both an artist’s work as well as the artist’s real world experiences. “When I work, my biggest apprehension is the loss of material. You buy so much paint, so many sheets, and so many surfaces, and much of it goes to waste. Every artist feels this. So I keep working, but when I look at a painting, I also see all the attempts that didn’t work, the things we tried and failed. Yet some things stay. They stick to the canvas, begin to make sense, and sometimes even take you somewhere unexpected. That connects with my experience of the world outside. At this point in my life, the world I saw as a child is no longer there. If I return to my old house, I don’t see the same place, the same street; it all looks different. What I understand from this is a truth of change, and I’m able to experience that directly through my work. That’s why I’ve named it ‘What Remains’.” Jasper emphasised that he does not want to romanticise or lean into nostalgia. He said, “If anything, what I’m Jasper Daniel with his paintings presenting is more like a very direct, even cynical report.”
INSIDE THE PAINTINGS ON DISPLAY
Two distinct sets of work are presented in the exhibition. One set is based on ink, and the other is done in acrylic Altogether, there are fifteen works, seven in ink and the rest in acrylic. “There aren’t really any fixed common elements between the two sets. The ink series, for instance, is more about capturing moments in the behaviour of ink on paper. Acrylic came to me more recently, around June last year. For acrylic, I lay down a base, let it dry, and then add random strokes,” said Jasper. The artist, who was a copywriter and is now a full time painter, shared that he plans to put up an exhibition of his paintings for 3 days every month. “Because I have a lot of paintings, my room is filled with them; they’ve taken up all the space. I just want to collect and show them gradually.” He added, “Whenever I finish my painting, and I am happy with the piece, I can look at it and go deep into it. I hope the viewer also would have the same experience.”
