Sky kisses Earth,2020,1, 120x68 inches, Acrylic,gold,copper on canvas
In a world of contemporary practice, in the midst of subtle mutes and nudes, Vinita Karim’s landscapes are proudly busy. On first glance there is an evident maximalist approach that draws viewers in, inviting them to indulge in layers of metallic sheens, motifs, intricacies and slits within configurations of earthen tones, vibrant blues, reds, ambers and golds. What speaks louder of contemporaneity urbane than excess? City and rural scape today, both spill dynamism of people, their means of movement and glimpses of peeking topography. There is a complexity in organisational dimension resulting in an integration between natural and the made.
Her recent body of work presented includes an expansive range of media explored by Karim. Her paintings are based on an instinctive mood. She uses her underlying sentimentalities and daily disposition as torque to manifest. There is a constant back and forth, trying to decode her transcript to find its roots and dissect its intent. The scorings negotiate their own stance while being part of a larger architectural setting. One can see elaborate details that adorn a canvas with confident geometry, vibrant colours, a purposeful ornate that celebrate both traditional craft and what one may consider artistic practice. She shuns the idea of differentiating. Fantasy meets observation. Within it all, the moon remains constant, anchoring each work to her roots.
The Woven Image also showcases her finely done embroidery work and works of mineral pigments. The performance of the needle resembles brush work, a liner or rigger brush with long bristles. Closer one gets to the artwork, the beauty of the threads leave the viewer in awe. Karim’s practice of making sculptures is a mode to expand her interest in found objects as well as a means to indulge in an approach which does not restrict her in dimensionality or history. She uses pre-existing materials found on her expeditions to engrave a part of herself, extending the narrative of the object. As for her works in pigment, Cadmium pigments, Cobalt pigments and many such organic pigments come together with acrylics to find new visual territory.
The artist relishes the joys of inaccuracies, the moments of surprise, the spontaneity that comes with risky technicalities of production. She uses her unique mark-making to create a dialogue between the bygone and contemporary — as a means to eternalise, but also personalise; as means to preserve historical links, but also liberate pieces from its older ties, giving it new life.
October 11 — October 19, 2022
Gallerie Nvya at the Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam