24 August,2012 11:24 AM IST | | Surekha S
Quiz artist Siji Krishnan about the unique title of her exhibition, and she explains that after her father's demise, she felt an emptiness. "The 0 denotes that emptiness.
My father passed away in 2008. I couldn't explain the void that I felt to family or friends. I could relate it to my work and many of my artworks reflect my feeling," explains the Hyderabad-based artist.
Artwork from Lullaby series, depicting a father and daughter
The uniqueness of Krishnan's artworks lies in the fact that she paints on rice paper. She uses rice paper as a canvas and creates an artwork on it, making the paintings look unique and rich in texture. Krishnan, who hails from Kerala, moved to Hyderabad to graduate in art and her first exhibition was in 2010.
Nest, depicting a woman inside it
Since then, she has displayed her works in different cities including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi. Many of her artworks, created over the years, have been inspired by her father as she admits that her first exhibition in Cochin was also based on her experiences with her father.
In this exhibition, which is currently on at the Gallerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, the paintings are predominantly in watercolours and many of her works depict nature in different ways.
"I have depicted flowers, seeds, nest and many things found in nature in these works," says Krishnan.
One of the artworks that caught our attention was a child rising from a skirt made of seeds. "There are a few that are part of the lullaby series, where a father and daughter are surrounded by a mosquito net, which also looks like a web in which the father-daughter are present," explains Krishnan.
Most of the artworks are autobiographical in a sense, admits the artist. "Many of the works are expressions of what I see and experience in my life. The flower image has a woman, which represents me in a lot of ways. The artworks are all based on my surroundings, my daily life," she adds.
