ARTIST STATEMENT

I always thought my works were personal stories. They reflect my thinking, my personality, my joys and my sorrows. But when I sit to describe them I know it is not personal, these are the stories of love and fears, dreams and anticipations of us all, the whole humanity. I feel blessed as an artist that I can weave these stories into colors and
lines in a way that many cannot. But we can share. I hope your stories reflect in my paintings and they may touch you somewhere in your heart. And we shall be united in the bond of love and humanity, the eternal bond. After that, no differences are left…
Salma Arastu
2006

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ARTIST BIO

An undefined energy inspires me to go along this creative process and my figures move from abstract to surrealistic to realistic forms, breathing between layers of colors and details of drawing. My work moves and yearns for unity within its own contrasts. And when it achieves unity it brings about a tranquility and joy.

BORN:
Ajmer, India

EDUCATION:
B.F.A. Jawaharlal University, Hyderbad, India
Fellowship at MS Univeristy, Baroda, India
Associates Degree, Northhampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA

AWARDS:
Second Prize in Works on Paper, Appearances & West Village Coalition's Juried Show on American Crafts & Works on Paper, Soho, NY
Second Place in Painting, West Park Civic Association, Allentown, PA
Best Painting Award from Northhampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA
First Place Award in Painting, AP Lalit Kala Academy, India
First Place Award in Painting, Bhartiya Kala Parishad, India

SELECTED PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS:
Museum of Modern Art, Hyderbad, India
Salarjung Museum, Hyderabad, India
National Gallery of Art, New Delhi, India
Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
Reading Museum, PA 1999
De Art Magic, Easton, PA 1998
Art Heritage, New Delhi, India 1998
A Gallery, New York, NY 1998
Hub Gallery, Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA 1997
Design Accent, Allentown, PA 1993
Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA 1992
Powers Art Gallery, East Strousburg University, PA 1992
Boushari Gallery, Kuwait City, Kuwait 1986
British Council Gallery, Kuwait City, Kuwait 1984
Kala Bhavan Gallery Hyderabad, India 1981 Shridharani Gallery, Hyderabad, India 1979
Azad Gallery, Tehran, India 1978
Art Gallery, Hotel Intercontinental, Tehran, Iran 1977
Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, Calcutta, India 1973

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PRESS RELEASE

Philadelphia, Pa – March 7, 2003- ArtJaz Gallery is pleased to present artist Salma Arastu in Song of the Soul and Other Stories. An exhibition of her mixed media paintings will be on display April 3 – May 31, 2003. The opening reception will be held on Friday, April 4, 2003, 5pm – 8 pm.

In Salma Arastu's visionary world, human interaction is both lush and tenuous, as delicate as a singular curving line, and as powerful as the group it strings together, a lovely synthesis of contour, color and composition. Arastu's paintings possess a visual power that is undeniable; flowing, undulating curves spiral through space in hushed and deep tones connecting figures and ground in a spiritual union.

Achieving this sense of unity is at the root of Arastu's work: connecting each figure to the others within the painting's sphere, to us, as viewers, and to each other as part of the human race. Far beyond a state of mind, Arastu seeks to stimulate a state of spirit and does so through her soothing use of earth tones, ethereal application of various media, and deeply symbolic subject matter. Song of the Soul and Other Stories is Arastu's third solo exhibition at ArtJaz Gallery.

Born in Rajasthan, India, Arastu received her B.F.A. from Jawaharlal University in Hyberdad, India. She is the recipient of numerous awards including First Place Award in Painting from both AP Lalit Kala Academy and Bhartiya Kala Parishad in India, as well as Second Prize in Works on Paper in Appearances & West Village Coalition’s Juried Show on American Crafts & Works On Paper in NYC. Through her paintings, she seeks to transcend the barriers too often established by traditions in religion, society, and culture, and emphasize the healing and unifying power of the human spirit.

" An undefined energy inspires me to go along this creative process and my figures move from abstract to surrealistic to realistic forms, breathing between layers of colors and details of drawing. My work moves and yearns for unity within its own contrasts. And when it achieves unity it brings about a tranquility and joy."

-Salma Arastu

The ArtJaz Gallery, a premier fine art gallery, specializes in promoting the art of emerging and established artists of color in Philadelphia and throughout the United States.
" Song of the Soul and Other Stories " will be on exhibit April 3 – May 31, 2003. The opening and artist reception will be held on Friday, April 4, 2003 from 5 pm to 8 pm. For more information call 215 922-4800. Artjaz Gallery is located at 53 N. Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

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