Aneel Vyas

Queer Joy and Self-Love: Massage

The work explores joy and serenity that can be found when we make the conscious effort to step back from self-loathing, and instead, allow ourselves to appreciate, love and nurture the self. Through this work I invite you think about self-love as a practice, the various forms it can take, and activities that already do or may help you evoke love of self.

“This painting titled “Massage” is part of the body of artwork called “Queer Joy and Self-Love”. The painting showcases a self-care practice of enjoying the pleasures of massage, while taking the time to admire what we do appreciate about our body rather than scrutinizing it. I am showcasing the featured individual’s encounter with self-care and how it strengthens their ability to understand the small actions in life that contribute to their resilience and hope. The preliminary process for the painting began by setting up an environment that I thought would be nourishing, nurturing and a blissful experience with candles, ornamented objects and multicolored lighting. I intentionally incorporated candles as they are used to illuminate dark spaces. I see this as symbolism of the hidden joy within ourselves brought to light when we take the time to look within. Since self-love can be interpreted as a spiritual act, spirituality and religion such as Hinduism inspired the colour palette. The figure in the painting is connected with their inner self, wisdom, and joy which are viewed as attributes of God, therefore blue is incorporated in the skin tone as Hindu gods are depicted having blue complexion. Purple is another colour used liberally in my painting. It represents the Crown Chakra within religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, and is linked to spiritual connection and transformation. It describes awakening oneself to their divinity. I view self-love as connecting with the divine as it allows one to accept themselves for who they truly are.To create this painting, I documented this self-care practice through film and photographs. (The short film produced in reference to this painting can be found by clicking the video button above this artist statement and is 3 minutes in duration). I digitally painted over the photographs in Photoshop. This hybrid photo-painting was then printed on canvas. The printed canvas was stretched and painted over with modeling paste, acrylic, and oil paint. I chose such an elaborative painting approach to mimic the long, slow, meditative, and dedicative process of cultivating and nurturing a self-love practice.”