Rice Paper Painting

Video by Loft Films
Featuring Ilyas Kassam

Ilyas Kassam is known for his large textual paintings on rice paper, that have an explosive yet meditative quality. Almost two dimensional sculptures, these paintings have a strong gestural quality to them. This, in part, is due to his process being performative and intense, implicative of a religious practice.

A self-taught artist, he spent an immersive five-year period of meditation and self discovery, gestating a philosophy that contributes to his creativity. In 2009 he visited the Kangra valley, India, where he spent months meditating in the cave of Baba Sant Ram.

Ever since, his work has been rooted in the esoteric, and has paid reverence to mystical traditions across the world. His work also draws from Japanese and Arabic calligraphy, reimagining and recontextualising these ancient practices.

By interweaving poetry, asemic text, and visual imagery, Ilyas seeks to recalibrate language. Tiny, often illegible, poems can be found within his paintings, which point to a very precise linguistic meaning that is derived not through its definition but through its essence.

Loft Films is an award-winning production company and creative studio, based in London, producing internationally. 

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Shot and directed by award-winning director Daniel Fazio
Courtesy of Loft Films