{"id":1629,"date":"2026-05-16T12:13:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T12:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/?p=1629"},"modified":"2026-05-29T08:19:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T08:19:01","slug":"commissions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/2026\/commissions\/","title":{"rendered":"Commissions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Neuronocturn-small--scaled-e1688983398729.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"716\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"739\" src=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Neuronocturn-small--scaled-e1688983398729-716x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Neuronocturn-small--scaled-e1688983398729-716x1024.jpg 716w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Neuronocturn-small--scaled-e1688983398729-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Neuronocturn-small--scaled-e1688983398729-768x1098.jpg 768w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Neuronocturn-small--scaled-e1688983398729-1074x1536.jpg 1074w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Neuronocturn-small--scaled-e1688983398729-1432x2048.jpg 1432w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Neuronocturn-small--scaled-e1688983398729-600x858.jpg 600w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Neuronocturn-small--scaled-e1688983398729.jpg 1664w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/IMG_0249-2.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"752\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1145\" src=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/IMG_0249-2-752x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1145\" srcset=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/IMG_0249-2-752x1024.jpeg 752w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/IMG_0249-2-220x300.jpeg 220w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/IMG_0249-2-768x1046.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/IMG_0249-2-1128x1536.jpeg 1128w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/IMG_0249-2-1504x2048.jpeg 1504w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/IMG_0249-2.jpeg 1594w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mountain-Dance-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"717\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1167\" src=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mountain-Dance-717x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mountain-Dance-717x1024.jpg 717w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mountain-Dance-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mountain-Dance-768x1097.jpg 768w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mountain-Dance-1076x1536.jpg 1076w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mountain-Dance-1434x2048.jpg 1434w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mountain-Dance-scaled.jpg 1793w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230723-Koshika-Pitch-Ketoswiss-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1071\" src=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230723-Koshika-Pitch-Ketoswiss-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1071\" srcset=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230723-Koshika-Pitch-Ketoswiss-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230723-Koshika-Pitch-Ketoswiss-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230723-Koshika-Pitch-Ketoswiss-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230723-Koshika-Pitch-Ketoswiss-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/koshika.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230723-Koshika-Pitch-Ketoswiss-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Neural Nocturne<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>70 X 100 cms |Acrylic on Canvas<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was commissioned to make a painting to commemorate the work of a neuroscientist, Wulfram Gerstner, who is also a classical violinist. Immediately creating a \u2018Nocturne\u2019 is what came to my mind. Not only for the apparent nod to the music but also because night symbolizes the unknown, and scientific research brings moments of illumination in this darkness. In creating this imagery, I was inspired by two other artworks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nocturne in Black and Gold-the Falling Rocket, Painting by James Abbott Whistler.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Violin and piano arrangement of Chopin\u2019s Nocturne in C sharp, as performed by Gemma Kim.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neuroscience motifs are scattered around the canvas. I placed the synapse, like the Loch Ness Monster emerging from the sea, almost in the center to symbolize the connections made, conceptual or human. Science can often be a solitary endeavor (see the tiny figure in the bottom right corner) but is also largely collaborative. I want to communicate this through this composition visually. The spikes on the sea correspond to the number of PhD students supervised by Wulfram (incidentally 42). The work of Cajal inspires the pyramidal neurons, which look star or firework-like and work well within the composition. A Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) kernel is placed on the sands at the beach. Floating above it are also two barn owl feathers symbolizing how this abstract thought and theory manifest in the biological world.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Neuronal Dreamscape<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>21 X 29.7 cms | Acrylic on Canvas\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was commissioned to make this painting for a the neuroscientist. I looked into his research and was struck by the breadth of his interests ranging from short-term plasticity models to neuromorphic engineering and adversarial dreaming. I wanted to represent this breadth through a collage of symbols suspended in a dream-like landscape as a nod to his interest in dreaming. I placed a blood moon in the center to represent the introspection and transformation required for scientific research. The circuitry symbolizes neuromorphic engineering and holds the moon over the abstracted Bernese Alps, illustrating the juxtaposition of the synthetic and the natural worlds. To the right of this is a curtain of pyramidal neurons inspired by the Golgi staining used by Cajal. I also included an image of neurotransmitter release at a synapse. I wanted the presynaptic terminal to look like a pendulum to symbolize the importance of time in short-term plasticity. Finally, there is yet another hidden symbol not relevant to neuroscience but as a reference to Bern, where the scientist works. Perhaps you can find it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mind is the instrument through which we strive to understand the mind, whether through empirical, analytical means, abstractions, experimentation, or imagination. Through this image, I want to convey the emergence of understanding through interweaving these processes within our minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mountain Dance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>21 X 29.7 cms | Acrylic on Canvas\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was commissioned to make this painting for a Neuroscientist to thank him for his help during a challenging hike in the mountains in Switzerland. The prompt given to me was \u2018Mountain Dance.\u2019\u00a0I imagined this memory more as an anxious rather than joyful dance, which is reflected in the choice of colors and the figures\u2019 expression. In the background are the Crans Montana mountains looking foreboding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The symbol of Vertigo, a spiral made of many little dots meant to look like a Laplacian Eigen map. Amidst the green, is a gray neural circuit growth showing different neuronal cell types and interneurons.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I captured a range of emotions in the image, keeping the connection between&nbsp;the 2 friends central. Being in the mountains is a dynamic experience ranging from absolute peace to an adrenaline rush or from melancholy to bliss. But a little help from our friends can guide us in finding the rhythm to keep up with this \u2018Mountain Dance.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In the grips of a migraine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>21 X 29.7 cms | Acrylic on Canvas\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this image, a migraineur sits by the pavement while many people pass behind her. I placed these figures at a different eye level to the migraineur to communicate their unawareness of her pain and her world perception.\u00a0I also wanted to capture the inner and outer states of the migraineur. The trigeminal nerve extends metaphorically outside the body looping around the migraineur, gripping her physical body and debilitating her. The circle of light behind the migraineur symbolises the aura symptoms and the chronic nature of the pain. The choice of colours around the head reflects the pain described in first person accounts as hellish hot.\u00a0Splashes of colour around her legs also convey the visual distortions experienced by the migraineur.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Neural Nocturne 70 X 100 cms |Acrylic on Canvas I was commissioned to make a painting to commemorate the work of a neuroscientist, Wulfram Gerstner, who is also a classical violinist. Immediately creating a \u2018Nocturne\u2019 is what came to my mind. Not only for the apparent nod to the music but also because night symbolizes<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/2026\/commissions\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Commissions&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":792,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,38,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commissions","category-fine-arts","category-series"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1629"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1631,"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1629\/revisions\/1631"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshika.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}