ShivaniMathur
|
|
Born in Calcutta, India, Shivani currently resides in London and has worked in the highly competitive and complex world of finance since 1992. She thrived in a world where nearly all her colleagues were male, people who had 99 out of 100 molecules in their body "made of testosterone"
Her interest in art stemmed from her family background and grew as she travelled the world on business. She got the opportunity to visit some of the finest art galleries in the world. She also met some world class artists who inspired her to experiment with paints. " I never went to Art school, I went to business school instead! I found the process liberating, destressing and gratifying. Initially my paintings resided under my bed for many years till one day my works were accepted for a very modest exhibition....... From then on, there was no looking back. I realised that I need to go back to the drawing board and took lessons from teachers, from other artists and from life itself. I have given a large part of my life to my art, but art has given me life itself" In her paintings, the vivid use of colour and style blends Shivani's Indian roots, a mathematical bent of mind with an eclectic style. Her works are contemplative and reflective. She calls it an "abstraction of precision" - at the core of her paintings there is a precise thought or image, a mathematical formula, or a well tested theory, but the viewer must "work hard" to "see" it and often "sees" different aspects and images in the same painting. Shivani's works over the years are organised in different series. |
Drawing from her mathematical background she painted the Fibonacci series in 2008 – a series of paintings that was hugely successful. Her series called "Elements" reflects her passion for the environment - Shivani used reclaimed, distressed wood, rusted nails, grass and other waste.
She has had several exhibitions in London and India: Walton Street Knightsbridge, the Brunei Gallery in SOAS, the Totteridge Town Hall, the London Business School, the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall , 86 St James and Bonham's in New Bond street, London. Shivani’s work has sold internationally and is in collections in London, Paris, Strasbourg, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Saudi Arabia, India, Seoul, Dubai, Singapore & Hong Kong.
She participated in an exhibition at Deutsche Bank in Jan 2012, and in Feb 2012, her "Egg sculpture" was displayed in Covent Garden, London and auctioned in as part of "The Faberge egg hunt" It was rated by the London public as the 3rd "most collected egg". The egg is inspired by Ancient Indian philosophy from the Upanishads .
In September 2012, Shivani's work was auctioned at the Royal college of art, Kensington and on 9th Feb 2013 at the Hilton in London for Cancer research.
On 4th May 2013 Shivani had a solo exhibition in Seattle. USA. Shivani exhibited at the Nehru Centre in 2018 and was selected for a solo exhibition at India House in London to commemorate the life and influence of Mahatma Gandhi in the 150th year of his birth.
Shivani has been involved with various charities and all profits from the money she raises from showing her works of art goes towards "expanding minds" and enhancing the quality of life experiences. Recent charities supported by Shivani include "Great ormond street hospital", "The Royal parks", "The Eve appeal", MacMillan cancer research, "The Elephant family" ,"Action for children" and the "Railway hospital in Lucknow" and Upaya social ventures.
