<p>Every artwork I create is an experiment and, hence, a new learning experience. I allow my hands to dictate what should be created rather than have a pre-planned blueprint. This is why my work oscillates between reality and abstraction – a highly nuanced vision that transforms into something spectacular.</p>

In this piece, the matter that makes up our bodies and our environment is personified as a woman; she undergoes sublimation, turning into her gaseous self. The main intention was to capture the beauty of physical change that keeps our world running.

Sublime

This piece is a portrait of me ready to take on the world!

The Leap

I simply intended to explore what my iPad can do in terms of colours and filters in this piece. Nonetheless, I never expected to arrive at what appears to be a cave encircled with glowing red rocks. I then created two men who are trying to climb out of those rocks.

After hours of experimenting with colours and filters, I finally arrived at something intriguing - ‘Lens,’ that’s positioned at the centre of the picture, portraying a brighter version of the cave, which suggests the idea of approaching a problem from a more positive angle.

I decided to exaggerate the whole idea with the repetition of lenses with a wider variety of colour schemes. The culmination of that endeavour is what I call, ‘Lenses’ (on right). The intention behind this was to portray that positivity is ubiquitous; all you need to do is view it from the right lens.

Lens and Lenses (Pair)

Horses are among my favourite animals, and I simply felt the urge to draw them for this piece. Moreover, up to this point, I had never drawn a horse before. So, I had to give it a shot. Upon completing all four horses and some further touches of filtering and colouring, I ended up with four purple horses facing east - towards the sunrise.

I presented this work to the public, and almost everybody assumed that they were the four horsemen of doomsday. Trust me; they are not.

Not The Four Horsemen of Doomsday

One has goals in life that he/she aspires to accomplish, and each goal has a long and challenging journey behind it. I intended to illustrate this idea in my work.

A figure approaches his destination which is indicated by the light above him. He appears to be having his last look at the journey through the darkness behind him. However, he bears a sombre demeanour.

As he proceeds to take the final step of the journey – which he so longed to finish – he recalls, not just the pain each challenge had brought him, but the strange pleasure he experienced while trying to solve them. He now remains uncertain of what awaits him; doubtful of his next journey after entering his bright destination.

It, therefore, holds true that one must work not just to reach the destination, but to endure the journey of each second that takes place while he/she works.

The Journey

Art can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. That that the viewer somehow “completes” the work through open-ended engagement or subjective association. The single meaning conferred by me while drawing this artwork can be deciphered like a riddle, one layer after the other, based on your perspective. After all, nothing should stand in the way of the transcendent possibilities of art, for it to rise above its context and touch the viewer directly.

So what do you make of this artwork? Is its meaning straight away evident to you, or does it keep you guessing?

The Collector

I intended to capture the dynamism and change in energy flow and the exerted force when one performs the downward dog yoga pose.

The Downward Dog

It was late at night when I had just arrived at my REM state of sleep. My body had drifted from the warmth and comfort of my bed into a desolate space of nothingness. I could see nothing, hear nothing, and feel nothing. But I could smell something - something wet, icy and stale.

As I drifted further and further, I finally felt the ground beneath my feet. It was still pitch black and silent. The scent, however, was stronger than ever.

I walked forward, following that smell. The walk felt like it took hours. And all of a sudden, a mirror appeared in my way. Was it even a mirror? I don’t know. I could see nothing. That scent, however, was stronger than ever!

As I approached the ‘mirror’, I was still unable to see anything. However, as I gazed up to the top of the mirror, I saw two slimy bat-like creatures hanging upside down. They had huge eyes and the worst stench imaginable. I turned around and there they were, in plain sight, saying aloud – “Hello There…”

One question remained unanswered - where was I?

Hello There

A friend who is a life-coach had once introduced me to the hypothetical concept of C-PTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), caused by repeated psychological abuse or codependency by narcissists. This disorder is thought to be common across every generation of humans.

With this piece, I intended to capture what goes on inside a victim of narcissistic abuse. The hollow heads and faces portray the confusion and loss of identity or personality. The dark memories that resonate behind her are captured with the transition of light. The many translucent figures represent her eternal entrapment under the influence of her abuser.

Don't Look Back

The painting 'Eve Cat' stuck with me to such an extent that I decided to do a second version, depicting what may lie behind the cat, using a wider variety of frames. ‘The Many Sides of the Eve Cat’ acts as an illustration of its convoluting personality traits and emotions that unfold every second it watches you.

The Many Sides Of The Eve Cat

This picture came about from nowhere on the eve of 2021 - hence it’s called the ‘Eve Cat.’

With this artwork, I simply intended to test my ability to illustrate simplicity and detail. There was no better way to do so than to draw a cat - an adorably simple creature with an equally complex personality.

Nevertheless, as I was creating its luscious fur, I serendipitously stumbled upon something very intriguing - a bare head with a fringe, and a furry body that’s unlike any feline I’ve seen in reality. The red frame added later made it even more thought-provoking.

The Eve Cat

Life comes and goes in a cycle - we start it clean and innocent, get messy on the way and find ourselves covered in filth as we edge towards the end. I decided to illustrate this idea in the form of three figures, taking inspiration from the Atlas sculpture.

The first figure, clean and clear as glass symbolises our naivety to this world - zero exposure to any knowledge, experience or emotions. It also appears to be light as a feather, drifting from the sky and gently perching on one foot.

The second figure, positioned with aggression as shown by his contracted muscles and form, portrays the peak condition we behold in our youth and middle ages. We learn from a society that impacts our lives and the lives around us, thus changing the way we view the world. As shown in the picture, it represents the Golden Era of our lives.

The third figure, the falling one, portrays our departure from society, or rather our escape. When our perspective and roles become obsolete, or even annoying. When the time comes to pave the way for a whole new world with new people and new ideas.

Falling

This piece illustrates the infinite hypothetical realities, better known as dimensions, that exist within our universe. I’ve depicted this in two manners:

The tri-coloured triangles divide a creature into three different shades based on their circumstances to suggest the existence of multiple regions within a place.

The repetition of that very creature in different shades and forms suggests a simultaneous existence of different creatures.

Anushka Balaraj

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