Less is More

 

Binyamin Basteker is an abstract artist. Painting is his speech. In his unique language, using the tools and techniques that he has perfected, he observes, explores and creates works whose source is rooted in Creation. The end result conveys to the world an emotional experience. The language of abstraction allows him to express without words – words are the expression of the finite. The richness of nature is infinite. Abstraction aspires to the infinite, the dwelling of perfection.

The artist’s roots trace to the late 1970s. He was greatly influenced by the contemporary masters. Basteker, born and raised in Mumbai, is a colorist. Avigdor Stematsky once remarked: “you are Indian, don’t be afraid to use color.”

Many of the artist’s works are flowing and dancing with color. This complex richness, dancing around the canvas, expresses Basteker’s eternal emotions of the moment, like only a trained Indian artist can achieve.

Yet at times, the artist uses a more minimalistic approach, one where he is able to expose his innermost layers of emotion using form more than color. The less color, the more he is able to expose. Basteker breaks from the tradition of the minimalist artist who “rejected the notion of the artwork as a unique creation reflecting the personal expression of a gifted individual…they created objects that were as impersonal and neutral as possible.” (tate.org.uk). In his unique, minimalistic works, Basteker creates an ultra-personal experience while leaving room for every viewer to engage and discover.

The works presented in this exhibition are a collection of some of Basteker’s finest. To understand the artist, one needs to observe, to contemplate, to question and to enjoy. The greatness of the artist is that he is able to achieve more even by using less.