Perth Voice Interactive

RENOWNED Fremantle artist Ian de Souza is holding his first solo exhibition in WA in more than a decade.

Clear Light features a series of large-scale abstract ink-on-rice-paper works.

An exercise in negative space, the wispy colours and shapes are like fragments of memories or fleeting moments in time.

There is a lyrical movement to the brush strokes and it’s almost like looking at a treble clef or the impressionistic dabblings of a composer.

Maybe for authors like Vladimir Nabokov, who had grapheme-colour synesthesia, this is how they viewed their prose.

Or if you are into psychoanalysis, it could be a Rorschach inkblot, revealing different aspects of your personality.

Regardless of interpretation, we can all agree that Clear Light is an introspective affair.

“For the past 45 years, my art has been about looking outward, seeking inspiration in the external world,” de Souza says.

“This work is different. It’s about turning inward. With Clear Light, I’ve reached a state of minimum distraction – a purity where the empty spaces are as significant as the brushstrokes. For me, it’s in the emptiness that the light lives.”

de Souza was born in 1939 in the old Malaya – a British colony in Southeast Asia that included the Malay Peninsula and some islands – and didn’t start practising art in earnest until he was 43.

His work combines years of training as a classical artist with techniques from Chinese calligraphy and painting.

It’s hard to believe de Souza is in his mid 80s; his youthful appearance perhaps a by-product of his Buddhist philosophy and ‘deep connection to light’.

“I’ve always believed that art is a mirror,” de Souza says.

“In this exhibition, I offer my vision of light, and within it, the viewer might see their own memories, transitions, and emotions. These works are about connection – between artist and audience, between the self and the world.”

De Souza’s unique creative process – bleeding ink through successive layers of rice paper, gives his work a layered depth.

And there is a subtle nod to his Eastern heritage, spirituality and harmony.

“Art has always been my sanctuary,” de Souza says. “My studio, surrounded by light and shadow, is where I find peace and reflection. This exhibition is born from that place of stillness. It’s not just about the work; it’s about the space it creates for others to reflect and connect.”

Clear Light is at the Moores Gallery 46 Henry St, Fremantle until March 23. For more info see iandesouza.com.au.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK