Temporary Landscape

As the clock strikes six and the light of dawn arrives in soft muted hues, we open our eyes to be greeted by our own weary souls. There it is – a longing for a momentary escape, loud yet alone. It echoes everywhere, in bustling streets, in footsteps of pedestrians that reverberate through asphalt and concrete, in blaring horns, and in chatter that meld into a collective murmur. It is a longing rooted from scenes of our dull and chaotic realities. For Brave Singh, this longing pushes us away to explore a “Temporary Landscape,” his latest exhibition in which he portrays nature and scenic views far greater than the mundane.

Everyday, we follow a well-worn path etched with the fragments of our routine, but along the way, we find ourselves constantly chasing moments that demand to be seized with nothing but the passing of time and a heart armed with ambition. However, a heart with ambition is also one that can grow tired. This feeling seeps into the very core of our beings, leaving us drained and yearning for respite. As the artist has stated, “In our everyday journey where things become a routine and somehow affect our everyday dealings, emotions and actuations, I realized that an escape from reality had made an impact.” Through the liminal space between darkness and light, Singh’s works capture the confines of our everyday reality, yet nestled at the center is the way to break free from it, pulling us to a gateway of the great escape.

The artworks portray harmony simultaneously transpiring in an environment that shifts between the ordinary and the extraordinary, compelling the audience to step closer and lose themselves in its depths. These landscapes we encounter in our escape are vivid and ever-changing.  For Singh, they are “a new place to visit and explore the beauty of nature, the food, and the way of life. These explorations give me an opportunity to recharge, invigorate, and even give me a deeper perspective of life.” As we sail across the landscapes, the seas getting a hold of us and the march of time slowed to a gentle stroll, we are reminded that we are free to reflect, breathe deeply, soften our furrowed brows, and simply exist in the moment.

However, as the sun disappears and the shadows descend from the west, we cannot allow reality to be but distant memories. The allure calls to us yet, within it, lies a crucial truth – we cannot dwell there forever. The escape may merely be a temporary rest, a fleeting pause to the grand narrative of life, but it is a longing now silent and well fulfilled.

– Kristine Zingapan