IAN de SOUZA: artwork

           BODY OF DANCE 3 by Ian de Souza

In these latest works of Western Australian floral forms Ian de Souza has developed a way of painting that allows him to explore increasing abstraction.

He combines the ancient Chinese art of painting on rice paper with a tradition-breaking method of his invention.  de Souza is of Portuguese, Malay, Chinese and Indian heritage.  Merging a traditional Chinese medium with his own inventive method of using it, adds a deeply personal dimension to his creative expression.

Ian de Souza and Garry Zeck combined exhibition of pure colour and floral forms.

Inks on rice paper by Ian de Souza ; hand crafted pots by Garry Zeck

A celebration of Western Australian native flora

In July 2009 it was “Lodeve Revisited” with de Souza’s first showing in Europe at the gallery O Marche du Palais. Held during the famous Summer poetry Festival Les Voix de la Mediteranee, the exhibition was well received by the media and the viewing public. For de Souza it was more a personal journey of coming full circle as this was the region where he first started to paint 30 years ago.

De Souza is of Portuguese, Malay, Chinese and Indian heritage. While in his youth he steeped himself in Western painting traditions, as he matures as an artist he is increasingly drawn back to his Eastern origins. With this merging of a traditional Chinese medium and his own inventive method of using it he finally feels he has found a way of painting that adds a deeply personal dimension to his creative expression.

...the subject matter for silk and saris is a departure from previous exhibitions.  As the title suggests, there are two threads. Silk draws its inspiration from the circus aerialists who practice and perform in the large space adjacent to de Souza's studio in Fremantle. Saris has an equally local starting point.  Galvanized by an idea for an exhibition, de Souza travelled to India to study and photograph classical Indian dancers.  Perhaps fortuitously, his trip didn't coincide with the season for dance.  Back home, he attended an evening of traditional Indian dance at John Curtin College of the Arts and these local dancers satisfied de Souza's expectations.  It s from that evening that Saris was created...
_{(extract from curatorial essay by Jody Fitzhardinge)}

Butoh, tango and flamenco on canvas and paper. “I’ve been inspired to create the Body of Dance exhibition from my life long interest in music and dance. I’ve held a strong fascination for the human body and all its unique expressions. The human figure is so amazing and expressive, especially in dance and the only way to capture the movement of the body is to draw it quickly. The strokes of the brush are as fast as the actual movement of the body."

Reminiscent of the festivals of the European Summer Solstice this exhibition of "9 x 5" works celebrates dance in all it’s form. Latin music and a tango demonstration on street level enhanced this exhibition.

A melting pot of art, tapas, tango and Latin music - all with the flavour of Fremantle

from ballet to butoh with latin movements inbetween, Body of Dance 1 featured 24 exquisite works in chinese inks, collage, oils and acrylics that reflect the artist's passion for music and dance.

Body of Dance 1 was opened by actor and fellow artist Robert Coleby

Oils on canvas, inks of rice paper. Passion implies many levels of meaning and experience. The passion of the artist through the medium; passion as an abstraction implied in the titles and the various passion of the viewer’s aesthetic experience. All, however, are about deep feeling and universal experience. These are indeed, works of passion.

...Ian de Souza is one of Western Australia's leading artists.  A painter and exhibitor for over twenty years he has an exotic background inherited from Malaysia, Macau and Portugal.

An extensive traveller with some intermittent years on the international music circuit in Europe and the Middle East, Ian has resided for forty years in WA.

His whole life has been deeply immersed in music and painting.  The passion of his music informs his painting in a marriage of the sacred and the profane nature of love and in time honoured ecclesiastic subjects he explores the distillation of spirit from matter.

Ian de Souza's career can be traced through prestigious publications, cinematic documentaries and commissioned book illustrations.  With many years exhibiting nationally and internationally Ian de Souza's work is represented in major private and public collections both in Australia and abroad.

He lives in Fremantle, Western Australia and is actively involved in local music and the lively Fremantle art scene.

_{Rosemary Hunter: painter / writer 2005}

The "Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ" was a finalist in the 2007 MANDORLA ART AWARD. 

The representational image of Jesus the human man is clear in the first frame and as the ink bleeds through successive layers of rice paper,  it transforms into an abstracted image; a representation of the Spirit risen to be at one with God. 

The ink was applied to the top sheet of rice paper and bled through the underlying layers delicately  changing the image from realism to abstraction.  Both the process of making the work and the work itself reflects the title which in turn represents the  belief that is central to the Christian faith.

From the artist's earliest days in a minor seminary college in Galong NSW he has painted ecclesiastical works.  In these time honoured  subjects the artist explores the distillation of spirit from matter.

He remains particularly inspired by the seminal philosophic and spiritual writings of Joseph Campbell (dec'd) _{author Power of Myth}

For 25 years Ian de Souza has  coordinated weekly figure drawing sessions.  He conducts  "studying the figure" master classes for the University of WA extension programmes; is an invited  lecturer in the Kidogo Arthouse scholarship programme,  and Claremont School of Art.