Linen Bi on Indigo Painting

Caroline is an Anglo-French artist now based in London after living in India and China for several years. Her work centres around the energy and memory of gesture and this includes a fascination with the circle, the most elemental and universal shape in nature and in every culture on earth. It is also the largest shape any human can make with their body. She discovered Neolithic Chinese Bi, nephrite discs known to be extremely important but utterly mysterious. This concept of loss and importance resonated with her at a time of personal bereavement and the use of the shape is a key part of her visual vocabulary. Observational drawings of conductor Marin Alsop in rehearsal with the BBC Symphony orchestra for various concerts including music by Shostakovich and Sir James MacMillan, sport, quantum mechanics and most recently experiments in virtual reality all contribute to her exploration into the energy of movement, memory and the connection of all things. Caroline uses the expressive gestural qualities of brush and ink combined with gesso, paint, gilding and piercing in a process that develops over time. As in life, chance and working on the edge of control play their part. Her work reflects an ongoing process of meditation and reflection on the universally powerful yet fugitive nature of memory and the existence of gestures and traces that would otherwise be lost. The importance of something indefinable in language which is common to all, regardless of background or culture. We make marks to prove we exist and the energy this takes exists forever. In addition to making art, Caroline shares her celebration of creativity in a weekly blog, readable in 1 minute and found on her website. Just search for Caroline Banks Art.