The Art Collective 2024

Having moved around multiple times when I was younger, I have a deep connection with the places I have lived, but I rarely feel like I am truly at home. In my works, I explore the connection between three cities that I have lived in - Chennai, India, Krumpa & Leipzig, Germany. Throughout my IB art journey, I aim to recreate the feeling of being home and belonging, compared to the feeling of moving away and the dissociation that comes with it. A motif throughout my works is the use of maps, which help me look at the geographical and physical connections between the cities.

This collage is a way for me to physically represent the emotional connection I have with Germany and India. Taking inspiration from the artist Susan Lerner, I used flowers and plants to represent the two countries, along with their maps. This piece shows that “home” is not always one distinct place, but rather an intricate web of places and experiences.

This piece is three road signs: a “Stop” sign, a “Road Closed Ahead” sign, and a “No Entry” sign, all on tall metal poles. Placed in a circle, facing inwards, when one enters it, it is as if they are being stared down upon by the signs. Signs are symbols of authority, but these signs have been written on and defaced. Instead of saying “Stop” or “No Entry,” they say the opposite. They say “Good to Go” or “Free” or “Enter,” changing the meaning of the sign and altering the authority they have, challenging their power, and changing the message.

I chose the theme “Archive of my girlhood” for my IB portfolio exploring my memories and what they mean to me and the other women and girls around me. Drawing inspiration from my past linocut artworks, I carved the lino block and printed three versions: blue, pink, and purple. The blue represents my kid self, a time when life was simple and uncomplicated, unchanged and unscared. It is the foundation from which I have grown and it is the foundation for every print in the series. The purple represents the small changes that I went through as I continued to grow up. The changes weren't drastic, visually represented since purple and blue are so close in colour, almost as if there is no difference. The pink calls for attention, and the changes cannot be denied even though there seems to be little time between the pieces there are drastic changes. The layers of purple have been covered and repressed. The full collage represents the person I am now, the layers of my old self showing through and all together all the changes and the scars to form me. All the colours are fully embraced.

My exhibition explores the transfer of human emotions through the lens of Nava Rasa, a key concept in Indian tradition. As a French artist living in India, I found inspiration from this ancient system that defines nine fundamental emotions for expressing human feelings. However, rather than strictly following this framework, I choose to reinterpret and modernize Nava Rasa as a personal tool for reflecting on emotions in the contemporary world.Nava Rasa emotions are expressed through sculpture and painting. Each piece explores a particular emotion, whether joyful, painful, or conflicted, through forms, textures, and colors that become the means of emotional transfer. The flowers, serve as a visual link between the works, adding an additional layer of symbolism while creating overall unity within the exhibition. Through this exhibition, I invite the viewer to engage with the emotions represented, encouraging reflection, and understanding. Creating these artworks has allowed me to reflect on and work through my own negative emotions, while also sublimating my positive emotions. I hope to inspire the viewer to embark on a similar journey, processing and transcending their own emotions through the experience of the exhibition.

I chose the theme ‘My Origin and Me’ because it connects deeply to who I am and allows me to explore the roots of my identity through art. In art, it manifests the heritage painted on every canvas shaping the patterns I create. It shows through symbols, a silent dialogue with history. My art becomes a mirror, reflecting who I am and where I’ve been, with the gap between tradition and personal expression. This theme allows me to connect with my past while expressing my individuality in the present. This connects to my artwork called “The Rain“ with all my origins being cloud and rain on me as a baby.