The exhibition “Uninterrupted “ is an autobiography of the artists life.
The first work is called “Who’s that girl”. It is a photograph of the shadows of the artist, taken by herself. Through the course of this exhibition, we discover through her actions, who she really is. My early years when I came to London were wonderful. I loved the path I had taken and the first two paintings in this room are “Harmony” and “The violinist “.They were inspired by these happy moments.
But soon a silent “Volcano” began to erupt. Problems began to creep in. These problems were like a thousand ton invisible “Elephant in the Room” Like the painting, this elephant was there but no one seemed to be able to see it. Many years ago, I had read Ibsen's play “ a Doll’s House. When Ibsen wrote this in the 1800’s women were expected to “look pretty “, like a doll and have no voice. “Nora” the protagonist in the play “walked out “ of this doll’s house. Like Nora, I refused to remain silent. Anyway, what happened next was a series of bizarre events.That same year my phone was snatched and my house was broken into. The worst was that one day in bright sunlight two men came and physically attacked me. Luckily a kind stranger intervened - I was safe.I still ended up on BBC’s crime watch. I didn’t know at the time that this horrible experience would become my inspiration. 2 or 3 days later I made a small childish I pad sketch which you can see- it’s called “Attacked”. Another work was “Silencer” painted around the same time. It made me feel a bit better even though I was still bruised, weak and felt “Exposed “ without cause. This opened up a Pandora’s box. |
I wanted justice, I was not going to give up. I was on an uninterrupted mission to discover the truth.
But to know the truth, I had to keep faith and also know myself better. Instead of going to a Guru or a shrink, I picked up my tube of rich blue paint. I can not explain what impelled me but thoughts which I didn’t even know exist within me began to emerge on canvas. I pulled out an old oil painting I had made in 2010 - I designed a panel of the same image and got it embroidered. Next I sketched it in charcoal. I made the same painting again and again. I began to see a single image from many “perspectives” and each one looks so different. This affected the way I looked at my own life. Painting also required introspection and this , gave me a lot of strength. For example- when I made the painting “Closed Door”, it made me ask myself a question- Could it be that a closed door was not the loss of a path but infact the door closed in my face to protect me? It was a sudden and unexpected realisation. Painting had awakened me and filled me with lots of positive energy . The time to rise into action was “now “ and I painted a clock in “About time“ that has no hands. “Uninterrupted “ therefore walks you through a variety of experiences- though a period of harmony, through a dark period, a search , action and realisation, a journey that perhaps every person makes in their own life. I no longer wished to pursue a “Race to Nowhere “ Rebooting my life with my oil paints has taught me something very special- that the truth and harmony we seek already resides within us. Our only job is to discover it. That is why in the next painting “Ganesh “ is always there but sometimes we need to work hard to “see “ him. And just as my friends, my family and many people who I didn’t even know existed, supported me in my journey of self discovery,it is now my turn. If My art can inspire even 5 people, hopefully more, to discover their own journey, my time will be well spent If I can awaken lawmakers to change the law to make it easier for all people to pursue their own “Inner Voice”, I would do it in a heartbeat to create a world built on three pillars that have supported me in my life- merit, self discovery and integrity. So each one of us can stand uninterrupted and with a fair opportunity to explore whatever path we choose- perhaps “New Frontiers” in finance, technology science , creativity, but above all in in humanity. To open the exhibition, I have 2 portraits -“Seeking” and “Awakened”. Many are familiar with the Gita, one of the greatest source of divine inspiration handed down over 5000 years. In the painting seeking, which is a self portrait , I have drawn a parallel from the Gita. Arjun who was the greatest warrior of all times, knew very well that truth was in his corner, but he was still dejected and seeking on the eve of the battle of Kurukshetra. In 2015, So was I. Arjun was lucky - he got a discourse from God himself to be awakened, to rise into action for the pursuit of justice. I am lucky too- I got a tube of rich blue paint. |