Artist Statement
I am captivated by the interface of nature and technology. As an artist, my goal is to craft art that creates a sense of the sublime, vitalizes spaces, inspires and gives hope to our global community. My artwork often focuses on the qualities of light as well as the abstractions of natural forms and processes.
My biomorphic kinetic and illuminated sculptures are inspired by regional flora and fauna. In my explorations of native plants, for example, I am interested in the process of how plants communicate, move and convert energy from light. My sculptures do this through the expression of form, structure, materiality, illumination and movement.
– Shea Bajaj
Biographical Statement
Growing up in a multi-cultural household has been one of the biggest gifts to me in becoming an artist. My father was an Olympic athlete from India (1956 Melbourne games) and my mother came from a rural farm community in Ohio.
My childhood home was a mix of exotic representations of various Hindu deities interspersed with photos of North American plants and birds. This fusion of cultures and aesthetics shaped my early experiences and allowed me the opportunity to travel the world and learn firsthand how powerful art can be to shape culture and connect humans to nature. This led me on a path developing my skills in painting, sculpture and design.
My background ranges from designing photovoltaic lighting systems for remote villages in the Republic of Palau right out of college (through the Department of the Interior) to working as an architect on commercial and residential projects (for Olson Kundig Architects) and, for the last twenty years, focusing solely on my studio art practice and art for the built environment.
I have had my artwork in showings at the Seattle Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Gallery and the Portland Art Museum Gallery. My light sculptures are part of the permanent collections of a number of corporations including Google and S&P Global. I am currently on the Washington State and Seattle Public Art Rosters.
– Shea Bajaj