An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, through efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language
– Henri Matisse
When everyday objects are repurposed and converted into art pieces, they gain a new life in Rakhee Shenoy’s art, which was seen in her solo show held at Bangalore International Centre in September 2023. She has explored digitally printed canvases with collages, painting, sewing, gluing and embroidery by positioning them into visually appealing compositions. She has let her imagination run wild while adding related as well as unrelated elements to her pages. Trials with different techniques and resources made her form her own unique style of mixed media.
The doodling of leaves and stems overlapping the boldly painted areas; picture frames adorning the wall; sofa with a cushion, shadows playing over the window; television, radio and typewriter; a meal of cheese, lettuce, eggs, noodles and chopsticks- all continue to be a part of her artworks enriched with contrasting colours. Still-life encompasses different shapes and sizes of vases, mugs and bowls decked up with flowers; picnic baskets loaded with bottles, breads and fruits; birds, bees, bugs and butterflies soaring over flowers adding liveliness and vivacity in Rakhee’s art. Creative and frisky possibilities of ‘fish’ enthralls Rakhee, and not to miss the ‘tactile qualities’ of textiles with the depth and dimension of mixed media elements.
There is no single focal point in her artworks. The portrayal of sunlight filtering through leaves or the temperament of fresh, disorderly or wild flowers, allows one to connect with the splendor and tranquility of the natural world. The mood, colours and atmosphere of the painting, make eye travel all around and notice even the minutest of the details. The petals, leaves, and stems realistically rendered, contrast well with more of impressionistic approach in the background.
The ‘layering’ of digital painting and colours and interpretations, attractive designs, configurations and images- all contribute to the look as well as the mood of the textile collage. It’s the versatile form of mixed media art that has resulted in cohesive and harmonious, visually arresting artworks, which are constructive, specific and well-pondered over. Overall, the technique, precision and execution grant an appeal and resonance to the creations. Rakhee’s creative choices make her art stand class apart, where lines and brush strokes blend and get interlaced exquisitely with various stitches of embroidery.
The show continues online at www.artisera.com
Alka is an artist and art writer with a diverse career spanning teaching, e-learning projects with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), and editorial work. An alum of the Government College of Art, Chandigarh (BFA) and Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (MFA, PhD), she has been recognised with numerous prestigious awards and honours.
