Ajaykumar’s art is not the art object but the creation of a sublime world that manifests in an ephemeral space between an art object and a spectator's experiencing of it; where art works come into being through the 'play' of others.
His work deals with play and playfulness: how a work of art may come into
'being' through your imagination as a spectator. His work relates to Nature,
about how we may connect with and think about Nature.
The art is not so much about objects but about how we inter-act socially,
with the world around us. He creates little worlds - special spaces or
places - to contact our playful nature, our imagination, and our feelings
about the sacredness of our lives and our relationships. These relationships
are as much to do with our relationship with others, as they are with
objects, and with ourselves.
Ajaykumar explores particular dynamics between art, architecture, science,
technology, philosophy and ecology. Critical in this research is relations
between art and life, questions of spectatorship, notions of 'being',
and the sculpting of space. Here he re-conceives classical Buddhist and
Tantric art in contemporary form: eliciting notions of daily life as art.
Engaging with the Buddhist concept of 'dependent origination', he develops
the idea of a 'relational being' and the 'being of space', stimulating
vital ecological questions.
Ajaykumar's award-winning and critical acclaimed art practice is trans-disciplinary,
intermedia, and single form, spanning the disciplines of: internet art,
video art, combined media installation, sculpture, film, site-specific
art, environmental art, performance/live art, design, architecture, sound
art, creative writing, dance, theatre.
Ajaykumar is a:
- Lecturer at Goldsmiths University of London.
- Member of the TrAIN: the research centre of the University of the Arts
London, in Transnational Art, Identity and Nation.
- Curator.
- Co-Director of the shapes-design
studio: which designs playful furniture, lighting, and gardens, and items
that come into 'being' through the play of those who acquire or frequent
them.
His studies have been in:
- Fine Art at the Royal College of Art, and at Chelsea College of Art
Design, University of the Arts London, where he is undertaking doctoral
research for which he has been awarded a scholarship by the United Kingdom's
Arts and Humanities Research Council.
- Film Direction & Scriptwriting at London College of Communication,
University of the Arts London;
- Theatre with Etienne Decroux, Paris;
- Education at the Institute of Education, University of London;
Ajaykumar perceives his art practice as a ‘poly-tekhne-kal' practice.
He prefers to use the term ‘poly-tekhne-kian' rather than ‘artist’
to describe his research, in part because the ancient Greek word ‘tekhne’
has a sense of practice and form that is of more than art: one that incorporates
philosophy, science, and what one refers to today as 'craft' and technology’.
phone: +44 (0)20 7837 9001