Description
About the artist:
Myth and fable apart, Seema Kohli’s canvases are layered with many, many stories rooted as much in philosophy as in knowledge gained in modern times, a parable of tales both imagined and real, till one can no longer tell the real from the imagined. Art columnist Kishore Singh says “if you look closely at her canvases and the tapestry of motifs unravels into more legends; turn voyeur and the epics are but a background to the unfolding melodramas of daily lives turned epic. She serves up the Upanishads and newspaper headlines in doses of caffeine. It is this that gives her canvases credible status as a chronicler of narratives past and present, Indian in their essence but universal in their context.”
Kohli was born (1960) in Delhi. She has created her own niche in the world of contemporary art since past 35 years. Her creative repertoire is eclectic, encompassing a wide range of mediums ranging from painting, murals, experiential installation performances, films to installations, sculptures and each a unique expression of her style. Working with oils on canvas, inks, mixed mediums, ceramics and printmaking, her work has redefined the basic contours of figurative art in India, finding admirers across the planet. Gifted as she is with a prolific brush of creative energy Kohli moved through the ‘Unborn Series’ and finally arrived at ‘The Golden Womb’ or the ‘Hiranya Garbha Koham’ series that propelled her into an orbit of her own. Her work captures in its entirety the perpetual change, order, strength and fragility, colors and rhythm, melody and exuberance of the elemental world. It talks about the creation, the cosmic journey, of the oneness of being and the final liberation in relation to the golden womb or hiranyagarbha. She works in wide range of mediums ranging from painting, murals, experiential installation performances, films, installations, sculptures, all with a unique expression of her style.
Seema Kohli has had over 30 solo show in Venice, Brussels, Melbourne, London, New York, Dubai, Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and many more. Has participated in International Biennale (Venice, Shanghai, India), Art fairs (Hong Kong, Basel, Beijing, Madrid and India). Her work can be seen as public art as murals of 10’x100’ at the T3 Delhi International Airport, Mumbai International/Domestic Airport, the Defence Ministry, Tata Residency and Manipal University among others.
Seema lives and works in Delhi.