Goddess Para, the primary deity in Kashmiri Shaivism represents ultimate reality & Consciousness that pervades entire universe, an embodiment of divine feminine energy – union of Shiva & Shakti
Christian de Vietri is an Australian-born artist who is internationally recognised for his traditional sculptures and large-scale artwork in public spaces throughout Asia, Europe, the USA, and Australia. His most celebrated work is perhaps the 30-metre-tall sculpture titled “Spanda”, which was inspired by the spanda principle in Trika Śaivism and has become an icon of the city of Perth where it is permanently installed. His education as an artist began with a BFA in Visual Art at Curtin University in Australia. He went on to study at the School of Fine Art in Marseille and the National School of Fine Art Paris, and in 2009 completed an MFA at Columbia University in New York. In addition to his experience with contemporary visual art, Christian has undergone rigorous gurukulam training in traditional Indian Art and Architecture under the tutelage of Vāstu Ratna Dr. Jessie Mercay in the Vishwakarma lineage of Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati. He is also a scholar/practitioner of Trika Śaivism, having been initiated into the practice of meditation by Paul Muller-Ortega. Several streams of knowledge and a wide range of skills come together to form the work of Christian de Vietri, which has been focused on authentically reviving ancient tradition using contemporary technology. His sculptures have been exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, such as the Columbia University Wallach Gallery, Deitch Projects in New York, the National Gallery of Bulgaria in Sofia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Perth. His artworks have also been acquired by several public collections including the Emily Fisher Landau Collection in New York, the Aïshti Art Foundation in Beirut, the Kerry Stokes Collection in Australia, the John Curtin Gallery Collection in Perth, the ArtBank Collection in Melbourne, and the Art&Australia Collection in Sydney. Numerous awards have been bestowed upon Christian de Vietri, most notably he was recognised in Australia with a Citizen of the Year Award for his contribution to Visual Art.
