The Sacrosanct Whole

Aaron Glasson (1983) is an artist from New Zealand. In his art, he explores themes that investigate the human relationship with the natural environment. His paintings are both surreal and vibrant in ethereal aspects, despite having a firm foundation in reality, frequently depicting real people on their own personal journeys. He covers a diverse range of mediums consisting of installations, murals, paintings, illustrations, and films. Aaron has showcased his work across numerous festivals like Festival Inspire, Seawalls and is the Creative Director of Pangeaseed Foundation that activates a dialogue on ecological conversation in public spaces through street art.

Aaron Glasson grounds his work on a key belief shared by a majority of indigenous tribes all over the world: everything, even the smallest entities, have an inherent life force. Taking inspiration from traditional cultures of India and New Zealand, Aaron brings together some of their characteristic elements. While seemingly disconnected, they instead highlight an intrinsic bond as well as the sacred nature of everything.

A surreal universe of architecture and humans, plants and stones, fruits and vegetables unfolds in front of the viewer who has the liberty of reading the piece by finding intimate, subjective associations leading to diverse meanings. From auspicious symbols such as the threaded chilli and lime - which are local symbols for protection and warding off evil- to the fertile pomegranate mingling with metaphysical meteorites, floating pumpkins and totems, the composition aims at stimulating the viewer’s mind, transporting it in a rebus without solution.

Visuals of ‘The Dancing Girl’ – an ancient artefact from the Indus Valley civilisation, which was part of Pakistan before partition and is now preserved in India, or bananas with their buds together in the shape of joined hands represent the unity of India and Pakistan in the old times, poetically reinforcing the concept of nature as a holistic hyper-connected system