Artists Registry
Berkeley CA United States
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Artist's Statement
Statement of Work
Artist Statement
Creating with continuous, lyrical lines and celebrating the universal spirit of unity is what I have to offer after thirty years of working as a visual artist. I am deeply influenced by the human form and the human spirit. My extensive travels and experiences with diverse communities have made folk art, miniatures and calligraphy the three strongest influences on my work. My story begins with a continuous, flowing line, moving on a blank surface and forming interconnected groups of people who are rejoicing, sharing, and celebrating the diversity of life. I bring together eastern spirituality and western techniques of painting and through these contrasting elements; I yearn and search for unity. That unity or balance when achieved brings about a tranquility and joy for me and hopefully for the viewer.
At birth, I was given the life-defining challenge of a left hand without fingers. Through my belief in Unity of all, I was able to transcend barriers of religion, culture, and the cultural perceptions of limitations for those with physical handicaps. For me painting or creating art is getting physically involved with the piece, scratching, sanding, and layering, adding details in pen and ink or adding materials like paper, rope, modeling paste or paper Mache. The works are created through a process of introspection that involves action and reaction to the materials itself. My working method is physical and meditative, and the motions I go through vary to produce different composition
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Solo Exhibitions
2010 April: Albatross Pub gallery, Berkeley, California
2009 October: California Institute of Integral Studies Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA
April-May: Kalart Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2008 November – December: Community Gallery, Alta Bates, Berkeley, CA
February: Hot Mango Pickle Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
2007 October: Monsoon Galleries, Bethlehem, PA
April: Chandler Fine Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006 September: ArtJaz Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2005 September: The Hope Horn Gallery, Scranton University, Scranton, PA
September: Monsoon Galleries, Bethlehem, PA
April: Fayberger Gallery, Penn State University, Reading, PA
February: Radford University Art Museum, Radford University, Radford,VA
2004 May: The Art Alliance, Cornwell, NY
April: Gelabert Studios Gallery, New York, NY
2003 April: ArtJaz Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
April: Black Cultural Center, Lafayette College, Easton, PA
2002 May: Barnes & Noble, Broadway, New York, NY
April: Open Space Gallery, Allentown, PA
2000 September: ArtJaz Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
April – May: An invitational exhibition of paintings and six-week residency program in Schwabisch Gmund, Germany
1999 June: Reading Art Museum, Reading, PA
1998 June: Art Gallery De Art Magic, Easton, PA
February: Art Heritage, New Delhi, India
January: “A Gallery,” New York, NY
1997 October: Hub Gallery, Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA
September: The Gallery, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA
1993 May: Design Accent, Allentown, PA
1992 October: Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA
September: Powers Art Gallery, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA
1991 September: Fine Arts Commission, Rotunda Gallery, Bethlehem, PA
1989 November: East Penn Emerging Artists’ Exhibition, John’s United Church of Christ, Kutztown, PA
October: Springer Gallery, Allentown, PA
March: DuBois Gallery & Display Cases, Maginnes Hall, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
1986 January: Boushari Gallery, Kuwait City, Kuwait
1984 May: British Council Gallery, Kuwait City, Kuwait
1981 June: Kala Bhavan Gallery, Hyderabad, India
1979 October: Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi, India
1978 November: Azad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
1977 September: Art Gallery, Hotel Intercontinental, Tehran, Iran
1976 March: Kala Bhavan Gallery, Hyderabad, India
1975 June: Kala Bhavan Gallery, Hyderabad, India
1973 May: Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, Calcutta, India
Selected Group Exhibitions
2010 September-November: Center for the Arts, Religion and Education
Doug Adams Gallery, Berkeley University
2010 May21-June26: The Art Gallery at Cleveland University, Cleveland State University
2009 March-April: Terra Galleria, Santa Monica, CA
February-April: Expressions Gallery. Berkeley, CA
2008 May – June: “Silk Road,” GE corporate headquarters, Fairfield, CT
March – June: “Erasing Borders,” traveling show, New York, NY
February: “American South Asian Art Festival,” Santa Monica Art Studios, Santa Monica, CA
January – February: “Beaux & Eros 2008,” Peninsula Museum of Art, Belmont, CA
2007 November – February 2008: “Expanding Circles,” Delaware Contemporary Center for Arts, Wilmington,
November – December: “Artists from Oakland,” Nest Gallery, Oakland, CA
August – September: National juried show at Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland, CA
April 27 – July 5: Stanford Art Spaces, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
March – April: “Women on the Verge,” Spring collection 2007, Laguna Beach, CA
2006-2007 Four shows sponsored by Pennsylvania Council on the Arts in State College, Harrisburg, Pittsburg and Philadelphia, PA
2006 December: “In a State of Emergency,” Alwan for the Arts, New York, NY
November 28 – December 15: “Eyes on Me: Portraits of Muslim Women,” Gruss Center of Visual Arts, The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, NJ
2005 Spring show, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
February 4 – March 4: Space Spurgeon Gallery, Santa Ana, CA
2004 May: State College Gallery, State College, PA
2003 July: Berks Art Alliance, Reading Museum, Reading, PA
February – April: “Muslim Women Artists,” Anne Fisher Gallery, Washington, DC
January 27 – February 22: “Muslim Women Artists,” aRamona Gallery, New York, NY
2002 October: Book Exhibit, Museum of Contemporary Art, Costa Rica
September: Diversity Art Gallery, Clark, NJ
July: Berks Art Alliance, Reading Art Museum, Reading, PA
2001 September: ArtJaz Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
National Acrylic Show, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
Annual juried exhibition, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
Miniature art show, Banana Factory, Bethlehem, PA
1999 M A C Show, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
M A C show, Ramsey’s II, Pittsburgh, PA
Invitational show at United Nations’ Turkish Plaza, New York, NY
Asian American Arts Center, New York, NY
Gallery at 678, New York, NY
1997 CCC Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Minority Arts Council Show, Philadelphia, PA
Museum of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA
Doshi Center for Contemporary Art, Harrisburg, PA
Permanent Mission of India, New York, NY
Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
1996 Main Street Gallery, Nyack, NY
Bixlers Gallery, Stroudsburg, PA
1995 Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA
1994 Museum Of Natural History, New York, NY
Ceres Art Gallery, New York, NY
La Mama La Gallery, New York, NY
Awards
2005 Honorable Mention, Lehigh Art Alliance Show, Bethlehem, PA
2004 First Place, Northeastern Regional Art Show, Marywood University, Scranton, PA
2004 First Place, Lehigh Art Alliance Annual Show, Bethlehem, PA
2001 Honorable Mention, Berks Art Alliance Show, Reading Art Museum, Reading, PA
Honorable Mention, Harrisburg Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA
2000 Quakertown National Bank Award, Lehigh Art Alliance Show, Bethlehem, PA
1995 Second Prize in Works on Paper, Soho, New York, NY
1995 Second Place in Painting, West Park Civic Association, Allentown, PA
1992 Best Painting Award, Easton Hospital’s Annual Show, Easton, PA
1988 Best Painting Award, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA
1980 First Place Award in Painting, AP Lalit Kala Academy, India
1979 First Place Award in Painting, Bhartiya Kala Parishad, India
1973 Scholarship Award to study Masters Program at MS University, India
1974 First Place Award in Etching, Gujrath Lalit Kala Academy, India
Education
1988 Associate Degree in Advertising Design, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA
1974 MFA, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, India
1972 BFA, Jawaharlal University, Hyderabad, India
Selected Public Collections
The County of Alameda, Oakland, CA
State Museum of the Arts, Harrisburg, PA
Museum of Modern Art, Hyderabad, India
Salarjung Museum, Hyderabad, India
National Gallery of Art, New Delhi, India
Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA
Pennsylvania Power & Light, Allentown, PA
Spring Health Clinic, Bethlehem, PA
In the US and Canada, more than 200 paintings in private collections.
Art Book Published 2009
February 2009 Salma Arastu’s art book “ The Lyrical Line: Embracing All and Flowing” is published by Half Full Press from Oakland California.
Selected Bibliography
2009 Tahseen Usmani: “Coveying Artful Messages” Span, US Embassy, New Delhi, India
Priya Das: India Currents, San Jose, California
2007 Geoff Gehman: The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, October 16
Fatima Khan: Pakistan Link, Los Angeles, CA, May
2006 Jacqueline Ruyak: Dharma World, Vol. 33, Tokyo, Japan, October – December
2005 Geoff Gehman: “Swan-Song show at Monsoon exhibits unity of the universe,” The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, September 15
2004 Fawad Siddiqui: “Greeting Life,” Horizon, an Islamic art magazine in North America, September
Kubiley Akman: “Modern Dervish [Modern Bir Kadir Dervis],” Gencsanat, a Turkish art magazine, Turkey, May
Kristin E. Holmes: “Art aiming to bring diverse people to one God,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, January 14
2003 Lee Klein: “Art on the Eve of Destruction,” Performing Arts Journal 75, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, September
Diana Cercone: “The Featured Artist - Salma Arastu,” Art Matters, Philadelphia, PA, October
2002 Lee Klein: “This is the one,” NY Arts Magazine, New York, NY, May
Al Zagofsky: “The Lyrical Line and the women,” Times News, Lehighton, PA, April 13
Geoff Gehman: “Lyrical pilgrimages, rituals are Arastu’s palette,” The Morning Call, Allentown, PA,
Ken Endick: The Express Times, Easton, PA, February
Tony Z : “After 9/11 show,” The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, February
1998 Charlotta Kotik: “Salma Arastu, Traditional and Contemporary Imagery,” Salma Arastu: Recent Paintings Catalog, Art Heritage, New Delhi, India, March
Kathryn Williams: “Salma Arastu finds American niche with acrylics, greeting cards,” Inside the Arts, Lehigh Valley, PA, May
Geoff Gehman: “In Easton, graceful illusions by Salma Arastu,” The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, June
Ken Endick: “Islamic Influences,” Express Times, Easton, PA, June
Geoff Gehman: “Mythic Image could create legends of its own,” The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, May
Kenneth J. Endick: “New art show focuses on Mythic Imagery,” The Express Times, Easton, PA, May
Lavina Melwani: “Guided by the Unseen,” Art in India Magazine, Mumbai, India, April
1998 Patricia Summers: Art Matters, Philadelphia, PA, June
Isadore LaDuca: “At De Arte Magic,” Irregular, Easton, PA, June 3
Lavina Melwani: “A Bite of the Big Apple,” India Today, North American Special, NY, February
“Admirable Fusion of Grace & Energy,” Asia Observer, New York, NY, January
“Kamlesh Arastu’s Exhibition at ‘A Gallery,’” News India Times, New York, NY, February
1990 The Globe Times, Bethlehem, PA, August
1989 Joan Campion: “Artist’s Universe is a place of swirling motion,” Free Press, Quakertown, PA
Geoff Gehman: “Artist Arastu tunes her work to dance of life,” The Morning Call, Allentown, PA
Mary Manotta: “Her abstracts reflect Nature,” The Globe Times, Bethlehem, PA, March
Lavina Melwani: “Catching the fleeting moment,” India Worldwide, New York, NY, March
1988 Tim Higgins: “Open Space group show has variety and vitality,” The Morning Call, Allentown, PA
1984 Promila Sharma: “No halt in Salma’s world,” Kuwait Times, Kuwait, February 2
Fatima Ahmed: “Painting is a way of life for Salma,” Arab Times, Kuwait, February 3
1984 Susan Litherland: “Salma’s Art Reflects Dramatic Movement,” Kuwait Times, Kuwait
1979 Keshav Malik: “An Outstanding work by Kamlesh,” The Times of India, New Delhi, India, October
Swadesh Arora: “Rhythmic Paintings,” The Evening News, New Delhi, India, September
1978 Kayhan International, Tehran, Iran, September 13
Tehran Journal, Tehran, Iran, August 20
Tehran Journal, Tehran, Iran, October 26
Kayhan International, Tehran, Iran, October 19
1975 “A Fervent Artist,” The Hindu, Hyderabad, India, February 7
1975 “Striking Paintings by Kamlesh,” The Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, India, February 5
1973 Art critic: The Statesman, Calcutta, India, April 2