Inner space: A painterly pursuit to add more layers of colour to our universe
Delhi-based artist Seema Kohli, whose work is known for its polychrome brilliance and experimental bent, speaks to Bhumika Popli about the themes she has been attempting to explore in her paintings and about her upcoming tour of the United States.
a product of her engagement with disciplines such as drawing, painting, sculpture, installations and performance, revolves around the concept of energy and creation. One of her recently made paintings of her widely recognised series Hiranyagarbha, or The Golden Womb, will be on display at a show in London in September this year. It is titled Art of Kindness. The painting is made using acrylic and ink on canvas, and it is about a celebration of female energy. The dance represented in the painting takes you more than 100 years back in time as you are reminded of Dance (I) by Henry Matisse. Though both the works are quite different in terms of their medium (the painting by Matisse is oil on canvas), style and even idea, both the works suggest similar levels of intensity, irrespective of the temperaments and stories they display. Stories form an important part of Kohli’s life, shaping her thoughts. As a child, she was introduced to planets by her father. She says, “My father told me the qualities of these planets and how they affect the system and that brought about stories in my mind. I think those multiple narratives increased my imagination.” In a painting titled Rising of Kundalini, she has incorporated the very same celestial beings she heard about. The artwork displays the bond of inner self with the universe.
The artist was also exposed to spirituality at an early age and later went on to study philosophy at Delhi University. “We had a fairly spiritual family. We don’t follow any specific religion. I was, of course, told about the work of many Hindu saints but it was never boxed into a Hindu concept. There were other influences as well. The spirituality in Sikhism, Islam, and Christianity also influenced to a large extent. Reading philosophy helped me get acquainted with multiples thoughts,” she says.
Kohli believes that her experiments in various mediums have given her the sense of travel. She says, “One medium has always satisfied me but I never felt that I should be stopping at that itself. I have always thought that working in different mediums is similar to travelling. One doesn’t stop her journey after visiting a single place. It is an innate desire of an artist to keep passing the paths you have not crossed as well.”
The painter prefers to make her own path. “As an artist, I never felt the need of following somebody else’s choice of medium. I am my own gha- rana and I don’t follow any school of thought. I have always respected institutions as you learn discipline as I did learn when I pursued Applied Arts from South Delhi Polytechnic. You are introduced to different mediums and the idea of exploration is maintained. I incorporated these factors in my work but I never felt that I need to use a
medium in a way it is traditionally used. So I have tried to mix mediums.”
She learnt how to use the silver leaf by a process of trial and error. She says, “During the early years of using silver leaf, many of my paintings turned black due to the oxidisation of silver. I didn’t know earlier that I needed to deoxidise silver. No one told me that. I learned it on my own and I finally have mastered the technique.” To teach her techniques she will be travelling to seven universities in the US this year. “Through workshops and performances I will be demonstrating what I have learned till now to students of art. I like to interact with people who are interested in my art so it is very important for me to be in good health,” says Kohli. The artist works hard on her physical well-being. There is gym equipment in her studio, which itself is like a home to Kohli. She works for around 12 hours every day in that space. She says, “Our life should be fun-filled and there should be adequate work, and this can only be achieved if we are in good health.” Kohli believes that when she started making sense of colours as a child, she knew she had found herself. She says, “I always felt that I am an artist and I am creating artworks and this is a serious thing for me. it is not that I am whiling away my time. At six I started understanding a little about colours and the love for painting stayed since then. I didn’t feel the need for any other company as a kid. I was happy with my three friends: paper, pen and colours. We were sharing the same dream of creating a universe and going on adventures through that.” Most of the time, the artist still ventures out on her creative adventures and explorations in an improvised way. “I sometimes don’t think about where exactly I need to put my brush down. Most of the time I am not even thinking what I am making but go on creating the work because when the coordination of mind, body and heart is in tune everything falls onto the place,” says Kohli.