Unifying Opposing Viewpoints: Art by Prav Pillay


An installation view of an outdoor stone sculpture and gardenTransformation in Earth and Stone, collaborative community based ceremonial public art work, collaboration with Xwalacktun - Squamish Nation

 

Conceptual and multi-media artist Prav Pillay uses his practice as a way of unifying opposing viewpoints, and rectifying the tension between environmentalism, history and technological advancement. Prav’s works take many forms and incorporate a range of media including installation, public art, sculpture and photography.


A detail photo of an outdoor art installation in Fort MacMurrayTransformation in Earth and Stone (detail), collaborative community based ceremonial public art work, collaboration with Xwalacktun - Squamish Nation

 

Prav’s most recent works took the form of a public installations in collaboration with the Squamish first nation. Transformation in Earth and Stone is a collaborative artwork in Fort MacMurray, Alberta, based around a “thunderbird egg” – that is, a large irregular boulder. The boulder was etched with petroglyph designs and placed at the center of a garden arrangement with a number of smaller stones and directional pathways. Prav worked closely with artists Xwalactun and Cleo Reese.

 

A screen capture of Prav Pillay's art website

The front page of Prav's website

 

The artist also created another Transformation work in North Vancouver, BC over the past year. I like the way the two works differ, each expressing the unique shape of its own environment. The North Vancouver work is installed on the waterfront and features a tall, obelisk-like boulder surrounded by rings of smaller stones. 


An installation view of Prav Pillay's TransformationsTransformations, collaborative community based public art work, collaboration with Aaron Nelson-Moody - Squamish Nation

Written by: Dallas Jeffs
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