Shahir Qrishnaswamy

I am a transdisciplinary artist, holistic educator, meditation facilitator, trauma-informed yoga teacher and somatic counsellor with a masterʼs degree in Contemplative Education from SFU and a bachelorʼs degree in Film and Cultural Studies from McGill. I have worked as a counsellor for LGBTQ+ sexual assault survivors, an ecological arts program assistant, a holistic arts educator at a Buddhist wisdom high school, and a voice and movement art therapist with refugee youth. My creative practices weave directing, sacred clowning, costume design, contemporary dance, poetry, classical hindustani and contemporary voice, ambient soundscapes and mixed-media sculpture into a grand cosmic inquiry, often exploring themes of ancestral trauma, healing and liberation. I turn to performance art as my main creative medium to help communicate cosmic complexities and nuanced truths that are often diminished when spoken in the colonizerʼs tongue. My artwork hopes to activate a transcendent state of consciousness fostered by unconditional love and a relentless commitment to spiritual enlightenment.