Arun Sharma
EXHIBITIONS
(de)composition, 2010
100 Flowers Campaign, 2010
STATEMENT
My sculpture and installation based artwork is an autobiographical extension of myself. By intuitively responding to different materials, processes, and concepts, I create artwork that reveals my true nature, my feelings and/or thoughts about an idea, or an experience I had. I try to elevate the viewer’s senses by drawing them into a world beyond the familiar, all the while presenting to them themes that they identify with.
Since the art work I make is my attempt to understand myself and my life, the work reveals my intrinsic desires, fears, anxieties, thoughts, etc. The most common themes that have emerged from the artwork I have made so far are birth, death, and the messy life in between. This messy life includes sexuality, reproduction, religion, my relationship with others, and an interest in culture.
BIO
Arun Sharma was born (1978) and raised in New York State. He attended The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, graduating Cum Laude with a BFA in ceramics with a minor in Art History. During his studies at Alfred University, he took a year off to make a personal pilgrimage to India, and worked with a professional ceramist in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. After completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2001 he spent a year in New York City teaching ceramics at the 92nd Street Y and Chambers Street Pottery. In September 2002, he left the US to live and work in Japan. He spent over a year in Osaka, where he maintained a private studio and studied the Japanese aesthetic. In 2004, he relocated to Kyoto, where he was employed as a studio manager and ceramics instructor at Okiraku Ceramic School. He held a solo exhibition at Neutron Gallery in Kyoto titled ‘Is Purity Possible?’ While in Japan, he met and married his Australian wife, Le. In January 2005, Arun and Le, moved to Melbourne, Australia. He was employed at the Incinerator Arts Complex as their inaugural artist-in-resident from April 2005 to December 2006. Along with holding four solo shows at the Incinerator Arts Complex, Arun raised the profile of art in the Moonee Valley Community by running local art workshops for adults and children, collaborating with international visiting artists and participating in local art events. He was nominated by the community of Moonee Valley for the Spirit of Moonee Valley Award: in the Arts and Culture category. Arun was accepted into The University of Washington’s Master of Fine Arts program on a scholarship in 2007 and graduated in 2009.