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As Above So Below
Is THIS what the afterlife looks like? RSC actor who was ‘dead’ for seven MINUTES after suffering a massive cardiac arrest paints pictures of what he saw before being resuscitated
An actor who was brought back to life by medics seven minutes after suffering a massive cardiac arrest now paints pictures of what he saw before being resuscitated.
Shiv Grewal, 60, had just finished starring as Don Pedro in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Much Ado About Nothing when he had a massive heart attack at home in Peckham in South East London, after a meal out with his wife Alison, 50.
Shiv, who was put in an induced coma for a month after being revived by emergency service workers, said of the several minutes during which his heart had stopped beating: 'It was like I was in a void but I could feel emotions and sensations.'
Five years on the actor turned artist, who insists he is a 'natural cynic' - describes seeing 'meteorites and space', all of which now inspires his work, which he says aims to capture 'what a person experiences when they cross the threshold of the non-living'.
Shiv's abstract pieces all feature vibrant colours and blurred lines, and depict the 'cosmic journey' he experienced when his heart stopped, during which he recalls being 'weightless' and 'travelling over the moon'.
'I was aware my brain was dying and crying out for help. But, at the same time, I felt things completely separate from my body. It was like I was in a void but could feel emotions and sensations.
'Despite knowing I was dead, I also knew that there was a chance of coming home,' Shiv said.
'I also understood that I'd be reincarnated, but I didn't want that just yet. I wanted to return to life, to the material world and to my wife. I demanded that I was coming back and I got my wish.'
- Shiv Grewal, 60, of Peckham, suffered a massive heart attack in 2013
- Medics worked for seven minutes to revive the RSC actor
- Describes experiencing a 'cosmic journey' while his heart had stopped
- Was put into an induced coma for a month after being revived
- Now paints to communicate what you experience when you 'cross the threshold'
- Shiv insists he is 'scientifically minded' and a 'natural cynic'
An actor who was brought back to life by medics seven minutes after suffering a massive cardiac arrest now paints pictures of what he saw before being resuscitated.
Shiv Grewal, 60, had just finished starring as Don Pedro in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Much Ado About Nothing when he had a massive heart attack at home in Peckham in South East London, after a meal out with his wife Alison, 50.
Shiv, who was put in an induced coma for a month after being revived by emergency service workers, said of the several minutes during which his heart had stopped beating: 'It was like I was in a void but I could feel emotions and sensations.'
Five years on the actor turned artist, who insists he is a 'natural cynic' - describes seeing 'meteorites and space', all of which now inspires his work, which he says aims to capture 'what a person experiences when they cross the threshold of the non-living'.
Shiv's abstract pieces all feature vibrant colours and blurred lines, and depict the 'cosmic journey' he experienced when his heart stopped, during which he recalls being 'weightless' and 'travelling over the moon'.
'I was aware my brain was dying and crying out for help. But, at the same time, I felt things completely separate from my body. It was like I was in a void but could feel emotions and sensations.
'Despite knowing I was dead, I also knew that there was a chance of coming home,' Shiv said.
'I also understood that I'd be reincarnated, but I didn't want that just yet. I wanted to return to life, to the material world and to my wife. I demanded that I was coming back and I got my wish.'
