Aspects of Self is a showcase of artworks by young Artist and Art Therapist in-training, Gayatri Lele (b. 1998, India) which takes viewers on a visual journey of individuation.

Coined by depth-psychologist, Carl Jung, individuation is an essential process in human development whereby the separate Self is formed – a self that is separate from parents, care-givers, or societal influences. He suggests that throughout life, people are prone to losing touch with certain aspects of their true self and it is through individuation that they are able to re-integrate these parts and move towards wholeness and ultimately, self-realization.

The artworks on display are a thoughtful and playful exploration of these parts to discover what is true, what is authentic. From spiritual and surrealist iconography, to portraiture and psychedelic landscapes, no terrain is left unexplored. Each artwork captures a state of Being, a moment in time, a truth expressed – and their diverse expressions reveal a fundamental understanding of human nature.

In today’s well-being and spiritual culture, much emphasis can be placed on finding your ‘authentic’ Self: a quest to discover and embody what is me as if it was a singular entity. Yet what we discover through Gayatri’s process is the fleeting nature of Identity or ‘Self’. What is true today, could not be true tomorrow – and often it is the desire to cling to one way of Being, a ‘concrete’ definition of Self, that paradoxically takes us farther from ourSelves.

Aspects of Self thus becomes a therapeutic reminder for the Artist and viewer, alike, to honor the totality of our inner-world, to accept its fleeting nature, and move towards a more holistic, honest, and liberating experience of Self, and Life.

Individualization does not shut one out from the world, but gathers the world to oneself. 

– Carl Jung