Aladastra Limited Edition Klee Yoga Essentials -

The Tunisreise Collection - A letter by the artist

In 1914 Paul Klee, August Macke and Louis Moilliet went on a journey to Tunis. This would later become one of the most expressive artistic journeys in Art History. It is marked by a lot of discoveries specially by Swiss - born German painter Paul Klee who would later write on his travel book while describing his watercolors and color discoveries in Tunis “I am a painter!” in an affirmative way.I always work hearing my subconscious, letting the shapes and colors emerge from my inner self to the surface of the paper through my unique symbolic universe that is constantly in development with my surroundings and new discoveries.

At my working process the name of the artworks always comes in an intuitive way and it happens either on process, or after the process of painting, installing or sculpting is done. Several days after painting I gave a fresh look at them, and saw on those patterns and colors how the Tunisreise (Tunis Journey) influenced me in the past few years. It mixed my south American repertoire (the Sambaqui and the folkloric Brazilian culture) with a German immersive experience.

I also like the Reise (Journey) meaning, because in every yoga practice as in our lives it is all about the journey, at least for me. You can see some of my first symbols like the Sambaqui mountain (in the Tunis mat) or the stars and the moon, which are part of almost every composition. Composition is like poetry and painting is like a journey that you never know where it is going to take you...  but you know when each of them reaches the end, which is always a beginning.

The joy I had creating these materials aligned for me with the joy that  these 3 artists had while traveling through Tunis.

I hope you can travel through my shapes and colors and let them inspire you in your daily practice and routine.

Best regards, stay safe
Domingos de Barros Octaviano