SJ: I tend to do things no one’s ever done before. I think I just follow a feeling and I take it to the extreme. I created the Journey of Humanity during the pandemic, painting 22 hours a day for about 11 months, which was quite intense. It did take a toll on my body but by the end, I created this beautiful canvas on the floor and then I cut pieces out of it and created what then became the final artwork which was hung on the wall. I think it sends out good vibrations into the world during a very difficult time and it’s surreal when you can connect people through art. There was no initial plan to create any records, however, we did end up with the official Guinness World Record for the ‘Largest Art Canvas’. That’s insane!
Your artwork We Rise Together with the Light of the Moon is the first one to be sent to the moon. What was this experience like?
SJ: Yes, that was a cool project with NASA, Jeff Bezos and Astrobotic where I created the first official artwork to be launched to the moon. Sadly, it didn’t get a landing but it is still the first one that hit the moon’s orbit. I intended to create a symbol of hope and light as from the darkness comes the light and I thought how beautiful it would be when the moon shines light on our earth through my symbol of reconnection of humanity.
Can you tell us a bit about your process?
SJ: There’s an infinite number of emotions that we feel every split second but we don’t connect with all of them as that would be exhausting. I try to connect with as many different emotions as I can during my conscious hours and then tap into those emotions through the subconscious, and release them on the canvas. And the way that works is I paint from a very deep meditative state so I’m in a complete trance. It is a state of surrender and my brain waves are actually theta which is surprising as you can’t create in that state but I found that I could borrow a moment, visualise an emotion on the blank canvas, and then let it evolve. I paint for two to three days at a stretch, with thousands of layers on top of each other. But by the end of it, the painting has a narrative. It’s all from the subconscious, and it’s a release of energy with pure intention. I’m eternally grateful for being able to do this.
What’s next in store for you?
SJ: I have the UNESCO project where I’ve painted 50 artworks of different World Heritage Sites to mark their 50th anniversary and it will continue to tour the world. It is quite exciting as this really is a symbol of our heritage, history, culture and how we can connect humanity to our past, create a more conscious present and a more hopeful future. I’m also looking forward to my 25-Year Retrospective which I recently completed, adding the final piece to the collection. It will travel to different countries soon.
