By 4 pm the sun began to kiss us goodbye.

Everything around shimmered with a golden glow. Casting long shadows, we got off our bikes to stretch at Fotu-La Pass and savor the view below.

Spectacular mountains in various shades and forms…what a sight to behold!

Sun burnt, unshaven, smelling of petrol, with grease stained hands and matted hair, we didn’t care, our souls had never danced like this before.

The wind whistled as it caught the top of the water bottle held up by Dave.

Paul lit his bidi as Harish remarked on how Delhi seemed like a distant planet.

Camera in hand, I took a few steps back and shouted, “Hey guys, smile!”

And so resumed the journey of Joshua Koodathinal John.

A die-hard biker, a pastor and an artist amongst other things – Joshua’s works unearth a mess of colors, raw and riotous.

His first solo show - currently on at Reflection Art Gallery – presents a varied selection of acrylic paintings, poetry, photographs and video installations.

Exhibition Snapshots: Motorcycle Diaries

Born in Dharbhanga, Bihar Joshua grew up in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, with teenage years spent in Dehradun and Mussoorie.

After graduating from the prestigious St Stephens College, Delhi with a degree in English Literature, Joshua went on to receive a diploma in graphic design.

A life-time member of the ‘Royal Beasts’ motorcycle club, Joshua's first creative take on long-distance motorcycling resulted in the ‘Thin Air Motorcycle Affair’ multi-media series between 2004 and 2005.

In the year 2007 Joshua released his first motorcycle documentary titled ‘Highway Headrush: Delhi to Kanyakumari’, and is currently working on an upcoming film ‘Himalayan Headrush:  The Princess & I’.  

The enigmatic artist terms himself as “curiously creative,” and subscribes to the adage that “you are what or whom you worship. Everything else flows out from there.”

Joshua’s works contain glimpses into his journeys, and vignettes of life as it exists on the higher altitudes – simple and solitary.

“Nothing can substitute the actual experience of being on a road trip, just as one cannot embrace someone else’s revelation by merely hearing about it.

“Each individual must venture out of their comfort zones to let that still small voice whisper words of hope, love and liberty to them,” he says.

“Then the journey becomes a pilgrimage and not a purposeless wandering.”

Elaborating on the title of his first solo show, he highlights the underlying theme of his exhibit.

“Dancing wheels chase shadows because we are but a small part of the big picture and on this side of death we cannot see everything clearly, only in part.

“Though we are fully and entirely known by our Creator, as created beings we can only know and see as though peering through a mist.

“There is a joyful chasing because the shadows have a beautiful source,” he says.

Joshua intends for each piece of his art to contain some element of truth, a little bit of beauty and a glimpse of eternal life.

‘Dancing Wheels Chasing Shadows’ is a celebration of creativity, and invites the viewer to mull upon and appreciate the inlaid beauty of the many journeys that life affords us.

Visiting Details:

Reflection Art Gallery & Studios
40A Shahpur Jat (near Asiad Village)
New Delhi 110049.
(The exhibition is on till October 7, 2009)

To partake in Joshua Koodathinal John’s creative exploits, please visit his website: http://www.headrushart.com/