I have always been fascinated by the usage of tarp sacks (Drochak bureh) in the Tibetan community. Growing up, tarp sacks that carried food aid from the US for Tibetan refugees in Nepal and India were a common sight. They were incorporated in to our daily lives—as material for constructing houses, garbage bags, shower scrubbing, laundry, and dishwashing. It became apart of our lives, and now it has become intrinsic to my art. The colors expressed by the tarp are remarkably unique in the final development of my artwork.
In this series Edible Flowers, the paintings trace a delicate balance between personal idealism and receptivity to love and care. I grew up in a small village in Himachal, among close-knit family and friends. Moving from Himachal to Delhi for higher studies, I found myself immersed in a whirlwind of technological and multicultural influences. As I started to define myself through my intellectual ideals and knowledge, my emotional sensitivity slowly became one-dimensional and confined. When I tried to reconnect with people close to me, it dawned on me that my role within family and friendships had undergone a profound transformation. I realized that while their words may lack embellishments or beauty, my own words were lacking in love and empathy. Amid personal challenges, I rediscovered solace in the embrace of my family and childhood friends.
This is an attempt to reflect and reconnect with the idea of compassion and care in daily life over intellectualization and self-centeredness. It is a process of embracing simplicity, and becoming receptive to love and care in all the mundane forms it comes in.
