Harinder Rajpal & Susan Louie: A Mélange

Harinder Rajpal & Susan Louie: A Mélange

Opening Event Saturday 1 October, 2-4pm

A Mélange draws together the work of two local artists – Harinder Rajpal and Susan Louie – utilising glass and colour to draw upon their mixed cultural backgrounds. Susan Louie is a Chinese New Zealand artist from Tairāwhiti (Gisborne), telling stories of her heritage through cast glass, while Harinder Rajpal was raised in India and migrated to Aotearoa where he now creates vibrant geometric abstractions. During the month of October you can view their works complementing one another in a mix of textures, geometry and cultural references.

About the Artists:

Susan Louie

Drawing on her life and work experience–from growing up in Tairāwhiti (Gisborne) to practicing Buddhism and visualising a peaceful world–Susan creates glass pieces or taonga that are meaningful, accessible and culturally reflective from her unique perspective. In addition to working on her own practice, her glass casting workshops are in demand and she frequently collaborates with others; currently, the Kohatu Marama Collaborative. Susan’s work is sold in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally, with work in private collections across the USA, Canada, and Australia and in a public collection at Tairāwhiti Museum, Gisborne, New Zealand.

Susan also creates glass art to raise funds for mental health and the prevention of youth suicide in New Zealand; to raise awareness of her chosen medium for world peace and humanity, and to empower each individual to engage in heart-to-heart dialogue, with proceeds going to charities such as Smiley Campaign and Soka Gakkai New Zealand (lay Buddhist organisation). She is building on new works for an upcoming solo exhibition, representing her life as a Chinese New Zealander and once Office Professional. Glass is her chosen medium as it represents the light within.

Harinder Rajpal

Continuously unsatisfied with his work, Tāmaki Makaurau-based Harinder launched his fine art career a few years ago. His background in textiles and design lay the groundwork for his current application of colour theory, and the balanced equilibrium he reaches in each composition. 

Harinder was raised in India, and his early years being raised in a conservative society led to his belief in freedom of expression. He considers art to be an instrument for social change. With a Bachelor of Art from Delhi University, Harinder’s every painting possesses an abstract, familiar quality that creates a very cohesive style–like verses from the same couplet, yet reciting different narratives. His work explores the relationship between historical multiculturalism and emotional memories which reaches out to the viewer with an invitation to engage and respond. 

Harinder’s most recognisable work is characterized by strong geometrical composition, balanced colour fields and a strong narrative comprising textural notes; drawing on the legacy of 20th Century Abstract Expressionism. This style has the aptness to capture your attention and the humility to take your own comprehension. It’s a representation of one’s emotional state. Harinder is inspired by SH Raza and Mark Rothko and likes to mix eastern values with western modernism to make his personal melangē of it. 

Glass has always been his favourite canvas because to Harinder it represents the exquisiteness of the human brain, whereas the geometric mode of abstraction in a layer over layer of vibrant colours reflects several expressions. He paints intuitively in layers until an equilibrium is achieved.