Yamini Mohan was born into a family of acclaimed artists based in Kannur - the land of looms and lore by the Arabian Sea in the northern part of Kerala. She soon emerged from the shadows of her illustrious family, shaping her own distinctive style. After completing her Graduation in Painting from the University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram in 2008, she soon swapped the palm-lined beaches of her homeland for the bustling megapolis of Dubai, where she is now based.
With a self-confessed obsession for the dark and bold strokes of charcoal, she is currently delving deeper into her favourite medium, ceaselessly exploring, evolving and expressing herself. Her works contain a strong bond of the female body and its various emotions. Here the medium charcoal strongly traces gender equality and racism. She has now started to add collage techniques from popular magazines; pasting-cutting-printed papers on images. Overall, her images have a feel of kinetic two dimensions.
Yamini has been part of several exhibitions. She has had three Solo Shows in Kerala, and has been part of several National and International group exhibitions. She has been part of the “Women in art” show conducted by Gallery Arabesque & Centre Park towers in Dubai, “Images In-side Out” conducted in Delhi’s Triveni Art Gallery is her notable Duo exhibition. She is a regular at Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy’s State exhibitions and Cochin Art fair.
For her work named “Iconography”, she was conferred with the Akademi’s State Award (Special Mention) in 2007.
Yamini has attended a number of artist camps and workshops. Among them include “Journey of the Emirates”, Dubai. The National Women’s camp “Marari”, “Thirunelli”-Water Colour Painter's Camp and “Payyambalam” art camp and the camps conducted by Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy and National Student’s Workshop at CAVA, Mysore.
Yamini Mohan
Works:
Tangled
160x146.3cm-charcoal and paper collage on paper
What do you think of me?
75.5x55cm-charcoal and paper collage on paper
Untitled
71.12x71.12cm-charcoal and paper collage on paper
The Hanger
75.5x55cm-charcoal and paper collage on paper
Do you feel the same?
75.5x55cm-charcoal and paper collage on paper
Yamini Mohan is paired with Mini S Menon and to read the poem "Tangled" that was inspired by the artwork with the same title, "Tangled" and other poems, visit Mini S Menon.
Artist Statement:
Growing up in an artistic
household, I always drew human forms, illustrating those around me and myself.
While studying painting at the University, I started being increasingly drawn
towards life and portrait studies. I began using charcoal to draw in my
sketchbook and in time it became my preferred medium. I find it best suited to
give expression to my inner language.
Bold lines of charcoal define
the human body in my sketches. I strive to infuse my illustrations with bodily
sensations in a gender-neutral style. My work is an honest mirror to my own
emotions. At the same time, it seeks emotional resonance with the perception of
the viewer. It is rich in the hope of interacting with viewers on the same
level of honesty.
Bodies lying intertwined with
each other... movements that seemingly leap out of nowhere...souls liberated
like birds... are some among the themes of my work. Exploring multiples levels
of possibilities, the end result is often subjective and introspective as it
transcends conventional distinctions and discriminations of gender.
Chances are you may not find
politically correct expressions of feminism in my work. However, you will not
miss the feminism kicking and screaming as it finds itself increasingly
threatened in society as a whole and within families in particular.
Spontaneous strokes form shapes
that move with a mind of their own as I try to capture them on a
two-dimensional surface. I like to bring alive those agile movements through
emphatic strokes. I believe lines and shapes, illustrated like in an action
painting, capture the emotional turmoil with high intensity. These lines do not
necessarily have to be poetic or aesthetic.
While I think my painting needs
emotional liberation on some level, I cannot separate the human body as two. It
is simultaneously the subject of the artwork and is also expressed as the
object of that presentation. This human body becomes a conductor of pain, fear,
joy or sorrow. I want the work of art to become a medium that successfully brings
people into the mind space of the theme.
There are both masculine and
feminine forms in my sketches, as the themes affect both sexes. The emotions
pertaining to love, pain, anger, hatred, resistanceand suppressions are universal and hence,
while portraying them I stay gender-neutral. The pain dealt with in my work is
as true for men as it is for women.I
want my work to touch all emotions without distinction, for I see the masculine
and feminine as being complementary in every sense.
The first thing I remember about Mini S Menon is their team organizing the incredible KG Subramanyan exhibition – Sketches, Scribbles and Drawings – at the Indian Ambassador’s residence in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and being mesmerized by it! I read her blog, Shoes ‘n Ships, whenever I get time and her writing has struck the right chords at the right time several times! I sometimes ask for book recommendations from her as she follows Seagull publishers (they have Awesome books!) and has written catalogues for them. She’s fiercely political and stands for what she thinks is right and I like that about her – a stance of her own! Though I have been following the works of Yamini for the last two years, I got to know her personally only a couple of months back. A charming and soft-spoken person, gorgeous model, whose works in charcoal has often left me wondering along her dark and deepened strokes. Like Mini whose format if quite experimental, Yamini too is experimental and her recent collage additions has made her works even more distinctive.
PLEASE SPARE US YOUR FEW MOMENTS AND FILL-UP OUR FEEDBACK FORM
Comments
Post a Comment