In this, his most recent work, Ian de Souza has developed a clarity of vision. If we surrender our time to look, we too, will find ourselves reflected. Our own memories will murmur and gather. The horizons of our own humanity will gather.
Here sensibility is shaped by a poetic awareness. Ian de Souza is painting myths. Stories and transitions we cannot quite recall. He is seeking the light that passes all understanding; death's clear light.
Clear Light is a culmination of the life of the artist who has surrendered his art to a vision of light. He offers us his gift of mirroring and we find ourselves reflected in the work.
"When all is said and done, this remains: that nothing else exists but light – life, nothing else... You can discard the gods sometimes, but the rituals of worship do not go away easily. Instead they are the rituals of the artist"
George Seferis
It is not the desert, or his many years in Australia that have evolved these works. Buddhism has increasingly called Ian de Souza both in terms of the philosophy, content and the technique he has created. If I recall the Artist's Studio, the light, the rippling shadows of trees, I suspect it his kampong style house, garden and studio sanctuary - this place of peace and reflection that is the source of his artistic life work that contains two worlds. The importance of a sanctuary of light and shadow has long been recorded. A great many centuries ago, in another World Korean poet, Tsoi Tsung wrote in the 2nd century.
"In the Night... The pine tree on my wall is a shadow, growing. On my window's blank paper the brush is a shadow drawing the shadow of a hill. In my room, tonight, life is a shadow. I know not if I am awake or still asleep: the breath of music in the silence may be the wind playing with the pine's ghost, or is it a song issuing from a hidden stringless lyre?"
Poem by George Seferis
The Private Museum
The Private Museum is a non-profit private museum in Singapore founded by Singaporean philanthropist, art collector and real estate developer, Daniel Teo, together with his daughter Rachel Teo in 2010.
Fuelled by passionate patronage for the arts, the museum aims to be an alternative platform to bridge the gap between the private and the public. It supports the exchange of ideas across cultures, educational initiatives, artistic and curatorial collaborations with collectors and practitioners of the arts.
With a vision to promote art appreciation, the independent arts space engages local, regional and international audiences from all walks of life.