Layers of Being

2017

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Layers of Being is an exploration of self and identity—a journey from the gross to the subtle dimensions of existence, from form to formlessness, from the identified self to pure being.

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For the first time, I have incorporated personal memories—family photographs and intimate moments frozen in time—as a medium to reflect on the impermanence of the identities we assume through different stages of life.

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This body of work is structured around five distinct layers of being, inspired by the Five Koshas of yogic philosophy. These koshas—sheaths or coverings—symbolize the progression from the physical body to the innermost essence. Through this lens, I explore how identity is constructed, deconstructed, and ultimately transcended.

 

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 Drawing on the Five Koshas—the yogic model of five sheaths or layers of consciousness—the work meditates on the transient nature of personal and collective identity.

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For the first time in my practice, I incorporate personal archival material—family photographs and memory-laden images—as both subject and medium. These intimate artifacts become entry points into a deeper inquiry: how identity forms, fractures, and ultimately dissolves.

Each of the five layers corresponds to one of the koshas, moving from the physical body (Annamaya) through subtler realms of energy, emotion, cognition, and into the innermost sheath of bliss (Anandamaya). This philosophical framework informs both the structure and sensibility of the work, creating a conceptual architecture for exploring the porous boundaries between self and source, memory and myth, form and formlessness.

Layers of Being invites a contemplative encounter—a slowing down, a quiet unraveling—where viewers are encouraged to reflect on their own layered being, and the fluidity of identity across time, space, and perception.

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