Born in 1957 to a Diplomat father, I travelled a lot all over the globe. Had a beautiful childhood attending concerts and seeing art exhibitions since my father was always interested in culture-oriented activities. That’s how I developed an interest in Art. My art education started in East Berlin in the early 1970s, then College of Arts, New Delhi and Santiago, Chile. Later I received a French Govt scholarship to study at Ecole Nationale Des Superieure Beaux-Arts, Paris. I wanted to study English Literature but my English language teacher failed me in school and I chose my other passion- Art.
I am an artist who paints, does Mixed Media, Printmaking, Drawings, Video art, and sculptures. I had taught in College of Arts, New Delhi for almost 2 decades as a visiting then later a permanent lecturer. Had to leave the male-dominated govt Institution without a pension as I was mentally harassed. But never gave up teaching art…Did it privately after that—- as interacting with young budding artists is something that has always given me happiness.
For the past 45 years, I have never stopped painting…Come what may-hardships, tragedies or other obstacles. My desire, passion and determination never gave up…There’s hardly been a day in my career that I didn’t work..be it painting, printmaking or doodling…Over the years lots of artists and personalities have inspired and influenced me–Amrita Sher Gill, Frida Kahlo, David Hockney, Kathe Kollwitz, Robert Rauschenberg, Arpita Singh, Rabindranath Tagore —to name a few. Also, many actors and singers from the Indian and International film industries have been a source of inspiration. Very often they appear in my works and I incorporate the lyrics in my oeuvres. I have exhibited in various countries and cities in India. My works are in collections of prestigious Art Museums and galleries all over the world like- the British Museum; Fukuoka Museum, Japan; Museum of Sacred Arts, Durbuy, Belgium; Kiran Nadar Museum, New Delhi; National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi to name a few.
My themes and contents have evolved over the years. When I was younger I was a happy child but made dark blues and sepia works, as I grew older darkness and hardships penetrated my life but my works became more and more colourful. My works are semi-autobiographical –I painted mostly feminine themes –women in different poses..then came the Female Torsos in the mid-90s. Started working with images of Frida Kahlo in mid-2000. During the same time, I did works based on the tragedy queens of celluloid like Meena Kumari and Marlyn Monroe. Recently I have painted on Devi themes…So all this imagery keeps recurring in my artworks.
My message to the young artist is, to be honest, and sincere towards your feelings. Never give up the fire in you. Constant determination, persistence and hard work pay off in the long run…The journey might be long and lonesome and there will be lots of hurdles…but do not be disappointed or disheartened!! Just carry on…The Sublime feeling you get when you produce good artwork is unparalleled and difficult to put in words.
