Our Portfolio

Self-control is a quality we all try to embody in our daily lives, yet most of the time we fail to do so. Losing control of our tongues and letting our emotions take charge can be destructive for ourselves and the people around us. Yet, mastering the art of self-control can be extremely fruitful and bring one immense peace and success in life. 'Kali' derived from the word 'Kala' means both darkness and time. It is believed that Kali represents the force of time, carrying both destruction and creation of life and the universe. Using Goddess Kali in both her forms as the central figure, she portrays the conflict and urges we feel while losing control. Maintaining a balance and taking charge of our emotions is vital and I believe the choice lies within us, what we choose lays down the path for us in infinite walks of life.

The constant need to fit in makes the girl run after it. Trying to find the hidden secret to being accepted, she pokes & prods herself for hours. Converting herself to someone she isn’t because that’s what she deems necessary to feel validated and accepted in the society. The girl looks down at the radiant blood that falls from her heart, frantically trying to find her heartbeat, but finds silence instead. Tears slip down her face as she realises there wasn’t any hidden secret to being accepted because it wasn’t there at all. She waited all her life for something she already had. She didn’t need to fit in to be accepted, if she opened her eyes beyond what she saw, she would have looked back at someone valiant and powerful, but what she sees now is a broken and meek girl hidden behind pale skin with her voice buried deep into her soul she’s afraid she might never find it again. If only she had realised it was her that needed to accept herself not the society.

I wanted to create a self-portrait that moves away from physical features and displays a touch of my personality through the objects drawn and painted. The multiple set of eyes, nose, and lips portray my various personalities that come to life while interacting with different people. There are small details in the nose pin, earrings, and rings that showcase my identity as an Indian. The flowers and leaves symbolize my spirituality; the peace and kindness that I try embodying through meditation. I see myself as someone who is immensely aware and in tune with my emotions, standing up for what I believe in while being respectful of others’ opinions. The sun and moon drawn on the neck represent new beginnings and the choice that we have to choose every day. I’ve used bright colours in different parts of the painting with no significant distinction to emphasize that I am by no means perfect and face startling challenges that are a part of life, but how I pick up myself from there reflects the kind of person I am.

I’ve painted an optical illusion to portray how busy and chaotic our minds can be. Feeling claustrophobic and helpless often follows and sometimes all we need is to find a sense of belonging in the chaos. For me, I used dancing as a medium to express my emotions and let go of all the hurt and anguish I was holding onto. Inspired by my own experience, this painting follows a similar theme. The central figures, both lost in the loudness of their minds are hanging by a thread, desperately holding onto each other and dancing through the chaos with elegance, whether they’ll make it out of their turmoil? That is up to your imagination.

We all feel insecure when we look at our bodies in the mirror sometimes, and that’s completely normal. However, social media and the promotion of fast fashion have negatively portrayed the image of curvier and healthier bodies. Hair colour, the thickness of our lips, the size of our nose, and the colour of our eyes are what make us unique from one another but due to increasing comparisons and unwanted comments, it has caused insecurity and anxiety in both men and women. Looking beyond how one looks is becoming difficult for us. By promoting different bodies and features through a magazine, I want people to understand that what lies inside a person is what needs to be valued not how they look on the outside. The qualities we embody in our hearts- kindness, compassion, sympathy, empathy, and love are what define our beauty. Whether we choose to paint our heart black or gold, is up to us.