#sparkchamber 091420 — Ricky Romain

Tomorrow is International Day of Democracy, a day set aside to celebrate and appreciate democratic society. It is very easy to take hard-fought freedoms for granted once the struggle is in the rearview. But current events around the world, and especially in the United States, highlight how fragile and uncertain this precious system of government is. As Abraham Lincoln hoped in his Gettysburg Address in 1863 — honoring one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles in the Civil War — “we highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

The fight is our fight — each and every one of us — to stand for the high ideal under which this nation was founded, and to promote and protect democracy. Vote. Help others to vote. Let nothing stand in the way of every person’s right to vote.

And in the spirit of human struggle, human conflict, human rights, #sparckchamber welcomes human-rights artist and sitar player Ricky Romain. In the early-mid ’70s, Ricky became a residential pupil of Punita Gupta — a disciple of Ravi Shankar — in Southall London. He became proficient in the understanding and use of rag [melody] and tal [rhythm], and with the improvisational techniques associated with Northern Indian classical music conventions. He continued his studies under the supervision of Bengali sitar player P. Gunguly, later teaching himself to play the surbahar [bass sitar]. Since 2000, he is an Associate Lecturer in Indian Classical Music at the University of Plymouth.

Ricky and tabla-player Jon Sterckx are the duo Samswara, and they perform [in non-pandemic times] at festivals, concert halls, events and weddings throughout the UK. Together, they have produced two recordings: the Raga Ahir Bhairav, and a live recording of Raga Kirvani. If you’re curious about the sitar — as a student or to catch a performance — check out Ricky’s Indian Music website.

The other half of Ricky’s expression is his profound painting and drawing, work exploring issues connected to human rights. “For the last 20 years I have endeavored to create work that reflects the complexity of political conflict surrounding prominent human rights issues. My work is usually figurative, whether it is exploring the poignancy of single male figures, or revealing the multi-layered ambiguity of masculine groups. The male figure is prominent because it reflects, via unconscious subjectivity, my own sensitivity in relation to global concerns. This in no way impedes my dedication to sexual equality.”

The haunting, stark, complex paintings do not relate to specific people or to specific political policies or agendas. Nor do they presume to have solutions. For Ricky, the painting is an effort to understand and interpret his own sense of despair at examples of inhumanity, tempered by admiration for the human spirit, and its propensity to endure and to survive.

For more of his work, and statements about it, visit his website.

And for actionable ideas on how to preserve democratic freedoms in these incredibly uncertain times, Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny offers a path to awareness and a guide to resistance.

1.] Where do ideas come from?

empathetic responses to the current human rights issues

2.] What is the itch you are scratching?

a need to give voice to my humanity

3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?

I have developed a discipline which has kept me sane, I go to my studio every day, “I show up” regardless of how I feel.

4.] How do you know when you are done?

I’m never done