Artist Statement
A lifelong artistic creator, Camal Pirbhai’s practice falls between the boundaries of textile design and contemporary art. His artistic practice is rooted in the history, and contemporary exploration, of design, textiles, adornment, and beauty. Coming from an industrial design background, Pirbhai’s aesthetic predilection for elegance and beauty is frequently coupled with subtle, social commentary that stems from biographical narratives and values. The artist often utilizes and manipulates culturally recognizable motifs and objects, for example, punching bags, fine furnishings, couture fashion, canoes, and gondolas, to recontextualize and reveal potential new interpretations and utility. In addition, Pirbhai frequently employs processes of embellishment and exaggeration to elevate objects beyond their expected functionality and banality. In doing so, the artist utilizes beauty not as a light-hearted or vapid pursuit but as a meaningful conduit to explore any chosen object's given social, religious, and cultural histories. Pirbhai demurely addresses sensitive or controversial topics by exploring the limits of an object and utilizing the power beauty has to disarm.
The thematic references in Pirbhai's practice continually evolve with his personal experiences and through his work with other artists — in doing so, the artist intrinsically champions the collaborative process as his preferred method of creation. Frequently, Pirbhai encourages interaction with his work, specifically touch and play, to further the collaboration between creators and artist and viewer.
Biography
Raised in Switzerland, Camal Pirbhai is trained in the United Kingdom. He began his professional career in Canada in 1994. Drawing from his expertise fabricating large-scale textile projects, hand-sewn furnishings, and intricate embellishments, Camal has evolved a multidisciplinary artistic practice exploring a wide array of materials and media processes such as sculpture, fiber, installation, painting, performance, and media art. Common threads throughout his practice is the exploration of the universality of beauty, and the interplay of culture, history, and identity. His work is about layering, from the aesthetic initial layer to the sometimes, uncomfortable subject or meaning.
Pirbhai has maintained an ongoing collaborative practice with artist Camille Turner. Their projects have been exhibited nationally and internationally, notably at the Art Gallery of Ontario (2017), in Toronto, Canada, SixtyEight Art Institute (2017) in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the International Human Rights Festival “This Human World” (2021) in Vienna, Austria. Pirbhaii has exhibited with OCADU (2017) in Toronto, Canada. And exhibited as a solo artist in other notable galleries such as McMichael Gallery (2017).
Pirbhai has acted as the Artistic Director of Studio La Beauté since 1994, and Reid&Lyons (2002-2010). He currently resides in Toronto, ON.