Being an artist or leading a cultural organization is both inspiring and challenging, blending creativity with perseverance. Voices of Resilience is a new series highlighting the journeys, struggles, and strengths of Houston’s artists and arts leaders.
The first feature spotlights Gaya Bhola, an immigrant artist who reflects on her creative path and the role of art in her life and family.
My name is Gaya Bhola. I’m born and raised in India, and I came to the United States in 1984. My mom was big into painting from the heart, so I watched her paint. All my childhood years, my early childhood years the war was on and my mother basically painted through the whole war. That’s how she survived.
And, my father was in the army, so we didn’t know where he was or whether he was going to come back after the war. But the painting was always there. So art was a big part of our lives and so was war. Unfortunately.
And I enjoy very much expressing who I am in my practice of medicine and in my, I work with alternative medicine and in my practice as an artist to, reveal the inner states of consciousness that exists in all of us, individually and collectively. But I started to see the duality that exists in the hearts of people. I was very troubled by that. And I wanted to help people come out of their suffering so they wouldn’t be so frozen inside. And in that process then, my eyesight started to fade, rapidly. I lost a lot of my outer sight.
I have reached a stage where. I do essence paintings for people, among other things, which are popular. But again, you can only do so many and you have to see them deep enough to be able to do it. So now I’m developing, an artful system, I would say. Where they would be able to feel their own essence. And this is very important for me to see people get in touch with that truthful part of them, that special part from where they can truly express themselves and show who they really are.
Love. I keep coming back to love and a lot of my paintings reflect that. That space inside us where life exists.
There was another lady who had done the interview for me for a magazine, and she described my paintings as pathways to the soul. And I felt like that was that was accurate.
So the biggest challenge has been my eyesight, I would say. And, I’ve learned to work with it. I’ve learned to see when it‚ just too blurry, too many floaters. Not being able to see properly in the dark that I’m fearful about something. And of course, the current situation of the world and war breaking out everywhere. That has not been easy for me, for my sight. So then I try and go back into nature as much as I can, as much as I can. That’s my turnaround point.
In Los Angeles, there was this one bench under a tree. Beautiful tree. And I would just go and sit on the bench ’til my eyesight came back. So I knew that the fear was driving my sight. Into…Just fading away. And that my belief in life and my feeling of being one with life would bring it back. And it continues to be a growing challenge.
I think one day when I just don’t have the fear anymore and feel more liberated, that my sight will be just steady.
When my eyes could not see what’s happening, or there’s deceit or destruction that I can sense, but I don’t know where it is. I go to my painting board and I just paint it out, and it’s as if my heart can see. And my heart tells me, look here. This is what’s happening. And I have those revelations which later I just keep them. And later I find out that they are true. So it has been, a deepening connection with myself through the art to see what’s happening in my life.
I had, solo exhibition in London. It’s in a location next to the British Museum, and I put out 60 works of art, and, I invited a violinist to come and play Amazing Grace.
I gave a speech of my life and my art and my journey which really, set a flow for me.
The show was sponsored by Air India, and it was a very high moment for me. In knowing that a solo show of that caliber can be done. So that was a very big high moment.
I also exhibited in in Basel. That was great. I had a solo exhibition in Los Angeles. Of course, there’ve been smaller ones, but these were my high points. And then I moved to Houston and had the two galas, which, opened up a whole other world of art for me, even different from my solo show in London.
There is a space of vitality that exists within you, where you’re really magical and you really carry the essence of who you are and what you know. I hope through my art that you can feel that space and you will feel empowered and liberated to be authentically who you are.
Now that I have found a sense of community I’m thinking differently. I’m not thinking so singularly. I’m just expressing myself or doing one essence painting at a time. Or, you know, taking the person’s whole story and then feeling it out inside myself and painting it.
I’m thinking more collective. This is a very big shift for me. So I feel encouraged. I feel I have an audience,I feel I will be heard. And for saying that at the collective level, there is a universality between all of us. There is a field where we all connect. There is, vitality where we can jointly, induce positivity or authenticity. And so I see my work going in that direction of collectivity, community, and soul of revelations.
The one thing that I really want to express is, being part of the Houston Arts Alliance. Of having had the exposure. There is, a stream of joy, and there is, finesse to the communications that, the staff has, which is really worth mentioning.
You know, an artist generally doesn’t have this kind of support. You’re on your own. And if you’ve lost all your materials and your studio, you’re on the road. And there are so many dedicated artists that have this as their sole profession.
So the idea that the community cares enough to create a zone where they could land, should they fall on their head is actually unbelievable. I mean, for the artists, I think it’s like a miraculous thing that go ahead and paint and do what you want to do and do it to the fullest. And should you get struck. There’s help. There’s hope. There’s someone to talk to. There’s someone to reach out to. There’s someone that will care enough to see that you get back on your feet again. Where else is that? Is anywhere? I haven’t seen that anywhere.
So I would say that’s the one thread through the whole Houston Arts Alliance is the joy. And, that is like another gift. It just, it keeps me very alive. And knowing that that is what is being fostered there.
