Tell us a little about
yourself and what you do.
I am a visual
artist from India, Assam (North East Part of India). Our cultural traditions
are as numerous and colourful as rich our nature. However, it is unfortunate
that political unrest is very common and economic problems loom large all the
time here.
Aditi & Family
I started off quite early even when I was just a child. My grandfather was also an artist. My father, a poet, who also practised painting as a hobbyist, went missing in 1994. He had a big friend circle that had quite a few visual artists. One of his close friends Mr. Neel Pawan Baruah (from Assam) is a great artist. As a child I was a very young student of his and later I did my Bachelor Degree in Visual Art in Print Making from Govt. College of Arts & Crafts. Since then I have been regular in my art activities. I displayed my works in numerous exhibitions, both national and international, participated in many workshops and seminars. I also worked as a designer for DC Handicrafts of India. I graduated (diploma from Pushpanjali Cultural Academy) in Bharatnatyam, which is an Indian classical dance form, under the guidance of Padmasree Pushpa
Bhuyan. Later
I obtained the Visharad Degree too.
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_2010.jpg)
painting 85x115cm_ Acrylic on canvas
Who (or what) inspires you
to do what you love in your own creative business?
Nature
inspires me to work.
Where do you get your
inspiration from when you design/paint?
I joined
Assam Fine Arts and Crafts Society in my childhood. That was a time I was a
witness to the wondrous activities happening around and gradually I became a
part of them. My society, my nature, my home all make me feel and love colours
and mediums, and experiment with new techniques. My works get better with
continuous practice.
_2010.jpg)
What are the five words that
people who know you would use to describe you?
Uninhibited
comment is not something very usual in my society; people would never say to
you straightway whether you are this or that, ‘good’ or ‘bad’! But I would love
if they describe me with these five words - Hardworking, Honest,
Straightforward, Positive and... any bad quality in me...ha ha ha
Tell us about your very
first job and what path have you taken since then?
Once we had a
group exhibition of children ...all my friends and I worked a lot for it...and
my works were highly appreciated by all artists and writers and other
viewers...it was really encouraging for me..I got serious about my
practice..and since then I have been doing so and also studying.
_85x115+cm,+2010.jpg)
Describe a typical day in
your studio space?
One day six
famous contemporary artists of India visited my small place suddenly and viewed
my works. They suggested that I should work well and advised me on many related
matters. I will never forget that.
The Studio
As an Artist, what is your
biggest frustration?
We have a
very short lifespan to learn new things, but we have to spend a lot of time and
energy on many routine jobs. We can’t compromise. Our space is too little for
the vast subject. We have to time our creative endeavours carefully even as we struggle
for a living. Nature is too vast for our observations. We observe maybe a few
dots of this. If one wants to travel to observe nature and study it, even then
human limitations still remain...resulting in some frustration, as you say.
Tell us about
how you prioritise your work.
I always try
to give more and more time to my practice. I always keep my material and canvas
ready in my small studio. I visit art galleries regularly. If I fail to work
for some reason I feel guilty. I wish to work, work and work till the end.
Can you please tell us about how you connect with other artists, and your customers (i.e. how do you network)?
Whenever our
works are displayed, our works connect us with people, and some of them are
collectors. Many new opportunities come or critics write about works, the works
get media coverage, which people read. Some curators invite us for their
projects. Sometimes collectors come to view our works. Our works are the means
to connect us in this network of art lovers, collectors, galleries etc.
Unfortunately, art market is yet to develop in our place. We are working very
hard and waiting for a good time.
What advice can you offer
other creative people who are just starting out and
following their passions?
We should understand
our own mind. What is my need and why and how I started to love visual art? How
visually did I react? How do I observe my society and Nature to learn and
create new space? These may be a few questions to ask oneself. Follow nature,
never follow works created by other artists. Once you start copying that will
surely block your vision and imagination. I see it that way.
What dreams do you still
want to achieve or fulfil in your life?
We are from
very lately developed place of this country. Therefore, we are still into many
basic things here. I have a dream to start a fully equipped Cultural Centre,
complete with a Studio, residency, gallery and a museum here, where artists
from even distant places can come, stay and work...We have unparalleled beauty
of space but we need financial assistance of course!
What is your proudest moment
so far?
It gives me
pleasure when my art works touch the viewers’ minds.
Spreding Light 2
Acrylic on Canvas, Size: 4ftx4ft
Who do you
most want to meet and why?
I have a long
list because they make my life colourful and I’ve learned a lot from them. They
all are great.
What is the
most important lesson in life that you have learned?
Always
believe in practical things. Have trust in your own capacity; as every
individual is unique.
Traditional Japi
What book are
you reading right now, and do you have a book you would like to recommend?
Now I am
reading a book on analysis of simple folk tales. It is very interesting. It’s
about how people are connected with nature and family, how children develop
certain common traits etc. It is a book with a very lucid narrative by Dilip
Phukan, an Assamese writer.
I am not the
right person to recommend a book for others because I’ve read a very few books.
Where do we
find you and your Art & products?
http://www.galleryartpositive.com/exhibitions_artist_detail.php?id=280&pid=980&exid=31
Do you have a Special offer
for ArtSHINE community?
Yes, if any
interested organisation or individual want to come and engage in art activities
in my region I will certainly help and coordinate with them. Thanks for this
interview and wish you and your team all the best for doing this great job for
our global society.
1 comment:
Interesting post to read
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