Bhavy Trivedi

Artist Statement

My name is Bhavy Trivedi. Call me Bhavyo. I am 25 years old. I have grown up in the international township of Auroville, India. Auroville is an ongoing experiment in all fields of human life since 1968. There, I work in a high school, which follows the approach of integral education through free progress. As one of the youngest teachers, I approach education through art.

For five years within a collective, I have researched the value of art in education and society, through workshops, commissions, installations, murals, exhibitions and of course through the school itself. We have found that art refines the being. Developed young, a deep aesthetic sense matures into a need for beauty and an aspiration to create it around oneself.

My art is an exploration of movement in its essence and a silent dialogue between the brush and the natural world.

I have not been formatted through a traditional art school or institute, instead I chose mentors, who since 2016 have guided me and pushed my practice forward – this, in the context of a unique upbringing in Auroville, constant exposure to international cultures as well as my Indian heritage.

Drawing inspiration from Eastern traditions, particularly calligraphy, I have learnt techniques anchored in poise and intention. This exploration has led me to create paintings that, though executed in seconds, require months of preparation. Through intensive research, I produce hundreds of pieces for a series, yet I have learned to discern and select only the one or two that truly resonate.

A recurring theme in my work is silence – inner silence. By quieting the mind, I let the brush guide me, a practice that has taken root in my quest for calmness in the Himalayan mountains. For the past eight years, I have trekked these mountains in awe, and in recent years, solely to paint their landscapes.An annual pilgrimage which has influenced my artistic practice and personal life immensely, has driven me to create two exhibitions in an attempt to capture the unparalleled beauty of mountains.

Nature is a constant source of inspiration, whether it be mountains, trees, passing clouds, or the sensation of the wind. I am interested in exploring the abstraction of nature and the essence behind its veil of matter.

I believe my work must stand on its own – without the need for words to justify its raison d'etre. Paintings that speak, do so independently. As their creator, I simply hold the brush.

Each stroke is an offering. An attempt to evoke something true and touch upon Beauty.

Biography

Bhavyo was born in Gujarat, India, and shifted to Auroville, an international townshit based in Tamil Nadu at the age of 7. Since he has grown up with the systems of free progress and integral education. He graduated from Last school in 2018, a progressive high school in Auroville, and he has been teaching there since 2018, creating and facilitating tri-annual workshops for the entire school based on art and its intermingling with education.

Formally Bhavyo teaches and conducts action based research at the Last School (LS 1985) a unit of Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER 1984).

In addition he is a member of an informal collective of Auroville artists which conducts research in the value of art in education and society, by creating installations, running workshops, and initiating projects & formal research. And collaborate with the Auroville Art Services (AAS 2011).

Despite lacking formal training, Bhavyo's education and mentorship helped him develop a style that fuses eastern and western influences, he is self taught and is in the process of broadening his artistic horizon and sharing his works with galleries in India and through that initial push, internationally.

For seven years, Bhavyo has been captivated by the Himalayas, finding artistic expression in their beauty. Introduced to the slopes of Himachal in 2017, he annually treks in the Himalayan mountains, sketching their silhouettes in preparation for exhibitions and his own works .

The mountains continue to inspire Bhavyo, subtly weaving into his artistic endeavors and life, since 2018 he has been creating exhibitions and installations in connection with the Himalayas which translated into two recent shows which took place in Auroville, India in 2022 and 2024.

In 2022 Bhavyo was a Stichting de Zaaier recipient of a grant from an international NGO for his first solo exhibition, based on a Himalayan expedition.

Since 2016 he has been taking on commission, projects, creating murals and installations for the community and the bio-region of Auroville. 2019 onwards he got the opportunity to be the lead artist for the yearly installations for the International Auroville Holi Tango festival which was established in 2013.

He has been part of the Auroville Art Camp in its first, 2019 and its 2023 edition and has collaborated with artists from around the world, which led him to participate in 4 group shows in and around Auroville.

Bhavyo is always looking to create beauty around him, may it be in the Last school where he teaches, creating tri-annual installations for the entire school since 2018 or projects in the different buildings and spaces in Auroville, he has been constantly working towards pushing his art practice forward.

In recent years, Bhavyo has been drawn to Chinese calligraphy, finding solace in its simplicity and gray tones, which influence most of his work. Now he shifts his focus into color and its vibrance though a new project that takes the form of trees.

RELEASE_2022_Coffee, pigment and spray paint on paper_30 x 90 cm
SANCTUARY_2024_Pigments and ink on paper_56 x 144 cm
PRESENCE_2022_Acrylic and spray paint on paper_50 x 150 cm
ABLAZE_2023_Ink on rice paper_36 x 133 cm
SORA'S SONG_2023_Ink on rice paper_34 x 68 cm
HORIZON_2024_ Pigments and ink on paper_144 x 56 cm
AGNI_2024_Pigments and ink on paper_56 x 144 cm