STAR: What artists inspire you? What is the source of inspiration?
ALKA. C: I have been impressed by myriad things of numerous artists like ornamental background of Klimt; strokes charged with emotions of Van Gogh; movement in lines of Degas; endless possibilities of accidental flow of colour in Pollock’ s work; frottage of Max Ernst; visual repetition of Andy Warhol; assemblages of Picasso; linear energy of Paul Klee etc. I like the self-portraits of Frida Kahlo, installations of Vivan Sundaram, symbolic representations of Arpana Caur, boldness in the display of Anish Kapoor, the performance of Ein Lal & Ratnabali Kant, rhythmic lines of Jatin Das etc. Besides my experiences, even a simple thing can inspire me. It can be a flower, an envelope, boats, birds or even a calendar. I then use these elements by molding them in my style in my painting by connecting them to my theme.
STAR: When did you become an artist?
ALKA. C: I was inclined towards art since my childhood. I got a chance to pursue arts and do BFA in painting from College of Arts, Chandigarh from 1991-95. Later on, I went to Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi for MFA( 1995-97) & Ph. D.( awarded in 2004). The specialization kept on pushing me on the track of creativity and made me an artist.
STAR: Why are you so passionate about art?
ALKA. C: I used to be very shy and writing poetry and painting were my favorite mediums for venting out my feelings. Gaze went inwards. Expression through visual representation and creating new thoughts through words helped in making my own art language. My art is something I‘ feel’; and feeling brings passion in me.
STAR: What do you love about life and what do you hate? ALKA. C: I believe in the motto:“ Take life as it comes.” Instead of grumbling about something which I don’ t have, I believe in counting my blessings. I hate hypocrisy and deception.
STAR: What mediums do you work in and why?
ALKA. C: I love working in mixed media – acrylics, dry pastels, drawing inks, markers, collage etc. Varied mediums trigger my imagination and coax me to explore myriad possibilities in my expression. I sometimes install a related object along with my paintings to create a visual dialogue between object, painting, and spectator.
STAR: What obstacles do you face in making and exhibiting your work?
ALKA. C: The only obstacle in making my art is sometimes clogging of too many thoughts together. Practically, I enjoy exploring whatever medium comes my way. All the mediums I use are easily available. While exhibiting the artwork, these days’ galleries are becoming so expensive that one has to think twice for exhibiting the work frequently. Sponsorship is also difficult to avail. The market is slow so there is very rare chance of one’ s work getting sold.
STAR: What are the favorite works you have created?
ALKA. C: I love my series on‘ Travelling’, where I posted railway and platform tickets in my paintings for an apt expression.‘ Imprints of Varanasi’ made me explore traditional elements, which touched the cords of my spiritual streak. This series has a collage of Holy Scriptures supporting the elements of‘ ghats’,‘ kalash’, ritualistic red and orange shades with scribbles of Mantras in the background.‘ Memory bag’ consists of a collection of memories of the time spent in Chandigarh and Varanasi.‘ Nostalgia’ shows cassette and tape recorder depicting my memories of the time which will never return in this era of technology. I love my latest work‘ unfinished story: you & me’. It is a therapeutic expression for me, which expresses the experience of a miscarriage of twin babies. Infant mannequin installed along with two small paintings reflecting symbols of a baby adds another dimension to the story where no words are needed to understand the theme. The infant has been painted in pink and blue shades with a few wordings written over it. The butterfly is the symbol of flying in dreams, a wish!!
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