To me, art is a reflection of the mind and it lets you express what you cannot say and that’s why I am drawn to it.
Title: Alamelu Annhamalai
Medium: Head, heart, soul, hands, flesh, bones, blood, sweat, tears, love, pain, hope, failure, friends, family, critics, peers Size: 161cm height x 52kgs weight Year: 1993 - (Work in progress) |
ARTIST'S STATEMENTIt has been a journey to unlearn certain things in order to find my voice, but the last couple of years has taught me a lot. I describe my pieces as ‘conversations with myself’ – as my work arises from a mind map of thoughts that aren’t linear and hence hard to define. Most of my paintings appear figurative and representational but are aimed at what lies beyond the visual.
Apart from my life experiences, I draw inspiration from literature and music. I use symbolism to create an allegory in my work. I tend to question issues of identity and the defined structure existing in society. Some pieces are more of a commentary on the issues present in politics, the society, the economy or the environment. For me, the surface becomes a diary that condenses different moments and decisions I take in the studio. Mistakes, successes and discoveries – these are all engaged within it. This is a process of construction and deconstruction, of removing material and putting it on, of falling in love with an idea and then watching it change. My recent approach to painting is organic; I search for a tension that exists within the process of making decisions in the work and arrive at this point through chance. On some days it is like a conversation with an old friend, on other days it is like escaping from the devil. Painting is a condensation of that type of time. My practice currently is driven by anxiety and stress. I focus on the material I’m using and find the process almost meditative. The goal isn’t to say something meaningful with my art, but to calm the demons within. This way I’m more open to experimentation and challenge myself to do things such as draw with both hands simultaneously. I’ve discovered that I’m ambidextrous and I plan on exploring this ability in the realms of painting. My continual traversing of different mediums and art languages allows me space to explore and play, with an aim of pushing my practice. |
© COPYRIGHT 2021 ALAMELU ANNHAMALAI. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.