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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