Artist

Mona Rai

Mona Rai was born in 1947 in Delhi. Rai studied M.A. Psychology, Delhi University and attended art classes for a couple of years at Triveni Kala Sangam. Rai is an Indian Postwar & Contemporary artist who explores the expressive potential of different materials. She creates shimmering fields of color that dazzle and oscillate in the light, abstractions informed by crafts production and ritual art forms. Her looming, square works epitomize her artistic attitude. Textures fascinate Rai; dots, dashes, slashes, directional strokes and streaks create her particular style. Square canvases are seldom used in figurative or narrative art, since dramatic distortions are hard to accommodate. The same format, however, seems more feasible with regard to abstract art, where problems of proportion and perspective do not arise. Rai depends basically on square sizes in small formats, sometimes going on to large rectangular canvases. The quality of tension and striving in Mona Rai's canvasses is indeed intriguing. Known for her unique methods, Rai often tears, slashes or burns her canvases and sometimes even takes the help of cobblers to stitch her frames. The artist needs to feel the experience of actually hurling paint onto the canvas. She can see her work opening itself up more and more. Her work also evokes deep meditativeness. Two metaphors associated with time and light are the two constant motifs in her works. The dualities of stillness and revolution that govern our planet find place in her work. Her work mostly relates to the cosmic mystery of open space, light and time, that is intangible and cannot be easily 'boxed or compartmentalized.