Art Exhibition: LIVING THE DREAM, by Roy Chvat

Roy Chvat was a man of many talents. He was a soulful guitarist, a brilliant raconteur, an excellent chef—and, as this exhibition shows, a gifted artist. He was also a humble and understated human being, which is its own form of talent. The work on display here is remarkable, but Roy never sought recognition for it, never assembled it or pushed for an exhibition. I doubt he’d even have described himself as an artist (though he clearly was). So we are fortunate to see this body of work gathered together at last, in one place, in memory of a beloved and singular Aurovilian life.

The aesthetic quality speaks for itself, as does the variety. What’s perhaps less apparent is the work’s historical significance. These aren’t just beautiful drawings; they are also capsules of time, records of moments in Auroville’s history, and often—as in the covers of the News and Notes—acute works of social satire and commentary. Roy was one of Auroville’s pioneers. He dug foundation pits at the Matrimandir, he planted saplings, and he helped build the community’s first bakery. He’d lived a lot. You see the richness of that experience reflected in these works, like a tapestry of life in Auroville over the decades.

Finally, the humor. Like everything else with the man, Roy’s humor was both abundant and understated—a dry, wry take on the world, a sensibility that seemed to know that everything is passing and nothing really matters. It was humor, but it was also wisdom, a certain spiritual detachment. Roy was my friend, and, like so many, I was a beneficiary of that wisdom. I guess you could call it the yoga. These paintings are a beautiful expression of one remarkable Aurovilian’s quiet yoga.