although untrained as an artist, v:shal kanwar is a prolific painter & performance installationist, as well as a dj and musician, who has been featured at a number of venues around the us, as well as new delhi and bombay (india). a natural artist and musician from very early in his life, his art draws on a number of classical and modern traditions and techniques, as well as many improvised techniques. as a child growing up in nigeria, he was influenced both by the local culture, and his parents' love of classical indian music. his father a remarkable vocalist in his own right and mother encouraged him from a very young age to express artistically. it was this lifelong personal relationship with art and music which helped develop v:ks unique style. when his father unexpectedly passed away in 1987, followed by his beloved mother in 2002, v:k turned to art and music for solace. the result was a remarkable collection of paintings, many of which were subsequently reserved for purchase prior to completion.
in 2002, v:k launched a yet-ongoing collaborative project with several musicians in the asian massive movement, called imperfections. the concept is to create a painting during the course of a musical performance or dj event, using only the musical soundscape for thematic inspiration a completely unplanned piece, created and influenced entirely by the course of the performance. as an organic event, imperfections grew to include similar spontaneous art collaborations between djs, live musicians, painters, visual artists and dancers. in addition, it fostered an ongoing series of remixes and original collaborations between v:k and the1shanti (dum dum project).
it was an easy transition in 2004 for v:k to join some of the best producers of asian electronica on stage as a live performance installationist, as part of a worldwide artists collaborative called kollektiv. founded as a monthly event in 2003 by tabla virtuoso and electronica producer karsh kale, kollektiv ties together some of the best asian electronica musicians and artists in the world under a single movement. it was his involvement in this musical movement which compelled v:k to become a dj, and to recently incorporate live tabla in his dj sets.
v:ks list of collaborations includes musicians and producers like karsh kale, zakhm, janaka selekta, midival punditz, sub swara, freq nasty, david starfire, the1shanti [previously of dum dum project], dk aka bollygirl, dimmsummer, sonny caberwal [previously of thievery corporation], dj goldie [uk], dhamaal sound system, dj bikram, tavia*, dj julez, funkdc [esl], kaushik | aishani music, and many others. v:k performs as an installationist and a dj regularly, including collaborating with the artists of kollektivmusic ...
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