‘Flow’, to be screened at KYNKYNY till April 30, celebrates the talents of seven female artists from across the country
‘Flow’, to be screened at KYNKYNY till April 30, celebrates the talents of seven female artists from across the country
Each artist featured at Flow By Kayanki Art Gallery boasts a distinct style and tone, to say nothing of their media and subject matter. Two artists from Bengaluru talk about their work and journey in the world of art.
Nidhi Mary Jacob
For Bengaluru-based artist Nidhi Jacob, her love for the great outdoors manifested itself in her art. “I’ve been doing botanical art for as long as I can remember. I come from a family of nature lovers and as a child we loved being outside, watching things grow. When I was little, I was a realist of something in nature Painting used to try to catch up,” says Nidhi, “As I began to develop my own style, I began to feel that I was not doing justice to art or nature. It is true to creating.”
Artist Nidhi Mary Jacob | photo credit: special arrangement
With this realization, Nidhi began to portray what her mind saw instead of what was in her eye. “My work is my version, my interpretation of the sunflower or the tree or the plant. I began to create this whole style of painting dense gardens – they are not realistic. Sometimes the flowers are blue or made entirely like a combination of rose and sunflower.”
“There were times I would wake up and remember a garden scene from a dream that I was drawn to quickly. They are more like an imaginary series of gardens than realistic ones.”
Though she has been painting for years, Nidhi feels she has come into her own in the last six years. “I finally found the right environment for myself to do my work more confidently, even though I’ve been painting since I was five. I’ve painted on all kinds of surfaces – fans, trunks, faces, bodies ‘Walls – for friends or anyone who needs to cover a blank space,’ she laughs.
‘Spring’ from the Fantasy Garden series by artist Nidhi Mariam Jacob | photo credit: special arrangement
At KYNKYNY, there are four fantasy garden acrylics on canvas and two watercolors on paper from Nidhi’s Pods and Buds series. The latter was inspired during the pandemic where he was locked in a farm in Tamil Nadu. “During this period, I learned to observe nature and observe its entire cycle of life, death and rebirth. That was my inspiration for the watercolors,” she says.
The art in the series ‘Fantasy Garden’ and ‘Pods and Buds’ by Nidhi cost over ₹75,000.
Naina Maithani Kulkarni
Naina M got into art when she was at the crossroads of her life. “I was looking for work avenues that would satisfy my soul when there was an opening for a manager in an art gallery in Delhi. However, when I found my position, I had to relocate to Vietnam,” says the former finance professional.
Artist Naina Maithani | photo credit: special arrangement
Trying to put her newfound knowledge to use, Naina visits art galleries, where she meets Tran Viet Son, a local artist. “I could feel the freedom in his work and I asked him to teach me. As a practicing Buddhist, he didn’t want to turn me down, so he wanted to be my mentor when I tried my hand at painting. Got ready.”
At first, Naina experimented a lot and eventually chose rollers over paintbrushes as her medium of expression. “I was always inclined towards abstracts because I’m not very fond of the explicit. Abstracts are open to interpretation. I think colors speak a lot more than figures and have their own language. For example ‘One day the color red may give you energy; another day it will quench the heat.”
‘Abundance’ by artist Naina Maithani | photo credit: special arrangement
“I work mostly on textures, using acrylics on canvas and building them up using rollers. The end result is quite thick and has distinct appeal; Thick layers of paint ensure it has more than a one-dimensional effect.”
Naina returned to Bengaluru in 2011 and continued her artistic journey honing her style and skills. She says that the lockdown was a quiet time for her as it was for most of the actors. “I had shifted to my hometown Dehradun and spent a lot of time on the terrace gazing at the sky. Since I didn’t have art supplies, I would take pictures and the landscape became my inspiration. I thought Horizon was the only thing I could relate to at that time.”
The price of Naina’s artwork starts from ₹ 50,000.
The entire Flow series, featuring the works of all seven artists, can be viewed at www.kynkyny.com/.