CHENNAI: In a recently conducted art festival, which focused on uniting the LGBTQ community and artists in Chennai, City Express caught up with a young Chennai-based artist Krishnamithra Rajan. Displaying a series of art work inspired by celestial navigation, Krishnamithra was visibly excited by the response she had been receiving from the art buffs.
“This is the first time I am exhibiting my art work in public and I have received some really good comments about it. This series was all about finding my way and I am happy that I was able to convey the message,” shared the interior designer-cum-artist.
Why celestial navigation? “I’ve always been intrigued by the science of position-fixing that enables a navigator to transition through space without having to rely on estimated calculations. It’s all about observing the sun, moon and stars and I wanted to work on this,” she narrated.
Though this method is hardly ever used at sea these days, Krishnamithra says it helped her. “It was a great tool for me to figure out where I stand. What started as a quarter life crisis where I’m seeking a path – the right path – turned into this exploration that led me to realise that I may only be awakened, in transition,” she explained.
A plethora of purples, blues, beige and whites are prominent colours in all her art work. “I am a colourful person and I like using colours. But in my art work, colours depend on the theme, and not on my mood. For me it’s about the theme and topic I work on,” she said.
Her favourite work is that of a monkey with the body of a mermaid, holding the earth. “I was thinking about the idea of greed and consumerism and started painting and this is the end of the series. I had found my way when I reached this painting,” she smiled.
While surrealism is her forte, she idolises Vincent Van Gogh for his impressionist paintings and Spanish artist Salvador Dali for his surrealism. “I still have a long way to go and I want to explore more. Registering for the art festival was a great step in exploring the artist in me,” she said.
Krishnamithra also believes that her strength as an artist is her vulnerability, and she uses art and poetry as mediums of expression. So, does she want to be a full time artist? “I am not sure about that. I think I need both interior designing and art to keep me going. I am passionate about both and I don’t intend on leaving one for another,” she smiled.