The Journey by Kushweet Bharij
KALYUG
A poem I wrote that inspired the piece, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Is this the world we live in today?
You shall be blind to the deafening cries of the silenced souls.
Life after life,
Blinded eyes, deaf ears and tied up tongues
Is this what it is to awaken the soul?
To be fool in this false court that has been made?
Proud fools of Ignorance, Fear, Greed, Anger,
Hate, Dishonesty, Envy, Jealousy, Anxiety,
Depression, Vanity, Maliciousness
Do we ever learn or change?
FEATURED PAINTING – “THE JOURNEY”
A play on words with the phrase “A journey of Giraffes”. Just as the Giraffes move through time (some even on the verge of disappearing), We are just the same, moving, growing, ageing, disappearing. Life and death.
With the map and history of the world almost embedded in our very souls, we have knowledge of time gone by, memories of past lives and distant ages. With that knowledge and connection between generations, we are all on our own journey in this world. Through time and the ages, experiencing all we can, tasting all we can, learning all we can, living life. Experiencing the Journey.
CONTACT DETAILS
kushweetkb@gmail.com
+254 705 980 209
Facebook | Instagram
KUSH
Kushweet Bharij also known as Kush is a self taught artist – designer, from Kenya. She has always had an inclination to being creative since a young age.
In 2016 Kushweet started working as a lodge manager at Lentorre Lodge. During this period, Kush had some quiet time, and being inspired by the wilderness around her she decided to pick up the brush! She gave herself the challenge of painting a huge piece; fine art, black and white, oils, fur, an animal with some detail…All things she had never done before!
“Goliath” Was the name of that painting. A beautiful leopard, 2 metres in height, it was her Goliath to conquer. That was the humble beginning of her art career!
In June 2018 She held her first solo art exhibition at the Arbor restaurant which consisted of 8 wildlife pieces with a twist. Each piece told a story. They gave the animal a life, a culture and message.
In September 2019, Kush held her second solo exhibition at the trademark hotel. This was the biggest challenge she gave herself; A 100 piece collection! She achieved this and displayed 102 pieces. These works were more abstract, playing with the paint and combining it with wildlife and nature. Creating a surreal connection between animal and colour, is this what God sees when he creates life?
Alongside the exhibitions, Kush takes on commission work ranging from pencil portraits, watercolour paintings, oil paintings to designing logos. She likes to try her hand at anything in order to familiarize herself with various areas of the arts and the use of certain mediums.
Kush loves to discover more and more in the creative world. Discovering new techniques and tweaking them into a new style or feature of a painting/drawing. It allows her to always come up with a new fresh exhibition each year. These thought processes and constant learning curves ultimately brought Kush to the decision to hold a yearly exhibition, where each year shall be a totally different style and concept. So you will always get a one off unique original piece of art work, never in the same style. She also makes sure that a percentage of the works sold go towards a charity of her choice, changing the charity every exhibition. She loves to give back to the world for its support in her dream.
Her inspiration has mainly come from her surroundings at the lodge. The peace, wilderness, wildlife. Being one with nature and its energies. To translate these into feelings brought through the paint. Kush wants the viewer to always feel an emotion from each and every piece some familiarity, something tugging at their heart and mind. This is her aim through every piece…to invoke a side of you.
2020 unfortunately did not allow for an exhibition to take place, however Kush is currently working on 5 commission pieces and the pieces for next year’s solo exhibition. Which she says shall not be wildlife oriented, but more out of the box.
“Art, creativity, imagination have always been a part of my life, I grew up making mud pies and dreaming of unicorns. In school, I was known as the girl who could be found in the art room, who would carry her sketch pad everywhere. This has stayed with me through university to date. Constantly drawing or doodling in a notebook or sketchpad.
There was a time in my life I was not in a good place, feeling frustrated, drained and confused. Then I was asked the one question that changed my life, “What is the one thing that makes you happy? “ In a heartbeat I answered ART! And “Goliath” was born! “Goliath” was my challenge. To just do it! Face that fear and overcome it. I knew something was just beneath the surface, but I was scared of failing. I kept telling myself “If you never try, you’ll never know. Never be afraid of failure, as it is only an experience to learn from. So keep trying and believing in yourself.
Never stop dreaming no matter what! Work towards it and keep going. Always be happy doing it”
So here I am facing my fears and following my dreams, creating art that I love, I enjoy and I hope you will love and enjoy it too.”