About me

I believe in diversity, especially when it is conferred by the virtue of culture and community. Born and brought up in a country where unity lies in diversity, I grew up appreciating differences. So much so that the purpose of my art became to express the ethos of the distinct community I was a part of.

My practice is deeply inspired by craft, which is one of the more tangible vestiges of culture and tradition. It is in this spirit of making something that is steeped in tradition and valued as heritage that I try to find my voice as an artist. From the natural habitat of communities where they have acquired a specific form, craft transcends into my practice infused with my interpretation.

Observing and learning, with the fork artists, I see the dot as the sun and as the granules of soil; as the stars in the sky and as the seeds buried in the Earth. A small dash becomes a raindrop; the rays of light; the arms of a dancer and the hoe of the farmer. Together the combination of innumerable dots and dashes become the filter through which I see. My expression is therefore, a kaleidoscope of such patterns that I derive from this permutation of smaller units.

Thus, from where I see it, craft isn't bound by the sky that is blue and grass that is green. Because, it is when we apply these rules that we forget that the sky is also purple during twilight and that the leaves turn red during autumn. I integrate this inherent quality of craft in my practice that allows for a fearless, unbound and uncanny expression; where art is purely born out of an interaction between personal associations and tradition. In hindsight, I aspire to find ways to share this imaginative vision of craft through my art with the different segments of the community.

Folk art that literally translates to art of the people, I believe communities can empower themselves using it as a profound medium of expression. In my role as an art volunteer and as an art instructor, I try and propagate this theory. The objective for which, is not to create visual replications of the craft form but to imbibe a deep understanding of the reason for its existence.

Hence, as an artist, it excites me to become a medium that borrows from traditional craft and engages with the contemporary community. I find myself documenting the differences in our ways of living and similarities that are bestowed on us by our shared culture. For it is only through a language as universal as art, that you can tell the story of so many artists, so many communities, so many crafts and so many ways of looking at the world.

Skills

Animation, Game Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Publishing, Writing

Sector Experience

Charity / Not for profit, Communications, Crafts, Education, Information & Advice, Publishing

Awards

Best Academic Performance, Best Graduation Project

Clients

Asian Heritage Foundation, Dastkar, Justice Adda, maya digital studio, Mirambika School, Mulberry - A corporative of women weavers, Prakriti School, Roli Books