Local, up-and-coming abstract painter and photographer, Jui the Artist, will be displaying her collection of works at the Red Bowler Coffee Lounge and Wine Bar on Sunday, 3 October 2021. Upama Saha, known as Jui, was born in Bangladesh and grew up in Bangladesh, Iran, and India before relocating to New Zealand. Jui resided in New Zealand for eight years before immigrating to Australia in 2005. Jui graduated from Brisbane State High School in 2006 and currently works in customer service and call centres in the field of sales and marketing as a day job. But Jui’s real passion is creating art. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020 and 2021, Jui poured her heart and soul into creating a beautiful collection of abstract art and photography which will be on display at her first exhibition on 3 October.

We recently sat down with Jui to talk about her work.

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Tell us a little bit about this project and how it came about?

This project came about because I wanted a little beauty in the world. I’ve been living in Australia for the last 17 years and I have never seen any Bangladeshi artists exhibiting in Brisbane. I wanted to be the first. I wanted to show Bengali people that having a creative outlet or passion is not only perfectly normal, but that it should be celebrated! I come from a background where creativity is not the most respectable choice of a career. In fact, if you are a painter, a sculptor, or just a creator of any kind, it’s often seen as just a “hobby”. In creating my work and exhibiting my art publicly, I wanted to show little girls and boys that this is possible; that anything that you want in your creative dreams is not only doable, but it is absolutely possible.

How many pieces are in your exhibition?

There will be roughly 44 pieces displayed at the exhibition. Some of these are art and some are photography pieces.

How long have you been creating abstract art and what inspired you to start?

I have been creating abstract art for the last ten years. Initially, I was inspired by my friend, Tanya. I have loved painting all my life but for the life of me, I couldn’t even paint a hand, let alone a face! About ten years ago, I saw Tanya create abstract art and it fascinated me. I used to be so scared of making mistakes when it came to art. Then I discovered through abstract art, that it is not only incredibly healing if you’re having a bad mental health day, but that there are no mistakes! In abstract art, there are just unfinished pieces. If you don’t like something, you can always paint over it. And I found that very empowering and freeing.

What is your favourite piece you’ve created and why?

My favourite piece so far is a photo of my friend Phoebe that I took wrapped in a saree. I am also really proud of this art piece of a woman that I painted.

What do you hope audiences will gain from attending your exhibition?

I hope that everyone that attends the exhibition will experience their own interpretation of my artwork and photography and see the beauty in it and hopefully they will buy a piece!

Do you have other artists that influence your work?

Yes, I really like the work of Van Gogh as well as Jackson Pollocks. Also, my friend, Tanya Sinha, who is an amazing artist herself as well as a powerful lawyer. Tanya taught me to embrace art in all its flaws!

What do you think the impact of the pandemic has been on your work?

It’s really forced me to create my own idea of optimism and beauty as opposed to being reliant on the outside world.

Do you think your cultural background has influenced your work?

Yes, absolutely! In my culture, especially with art, very few pieces are created with interpretation in mind. We always know what we are looking at because there is a description of it and often art classes have an example of what you were supposed to paint. Such as a bowl of fruits or a jar of some sort. Discovering abstract art has really challenged my cultural expectations of art and it has dared me to grow and explore new possibilities. I hope that my work can encourage others to explore abstract art and experience the freedom to create with passion.

Exhibition Details
Jui The Artist will present her exhibition entitled ‘The Wave’ at Red Bowler, West End from 5pm on October 3, 2021. Come along to celebrate the work of this local Brisbane artist and live music and food truck! Admission is free.

For event details link HERE.

All images supplied