CHENNAI: M onisha Mohanraj likes to revisit her memories and what better way to do that than through art? Excited about her first solo exhibition, ‘Monologue of Memory at Art Houz, she says, “Memories fascinate me. To me it is a deep concept."
An average student in school, Monisha says she was keen on drawing and painting. “In fact my notebooks were full of doddles and my mother used to scold me telling I waste paper,”she laughs. It was during her college days at Stella Maris that her passion grew wings. “One of my professors Razia Tony was my inspiration. Art was one of my subjects and she gave me all the motivation I needed,” she adds. Though it took a lot of time for Monisha to convince her parents to let her follow her dreams, an art course from the MS University in Baroda, introduced her to a different world.
“I was always into water colours. While doing my masters I realised that I like the medium because of the transparency that it gives. I explored the transparent medium,” she shares. Calling Baroda a city where there are more art lovers, she says she was more open and exposed to experimentation. “I started working on film screens, OST sheets and other transparent medium. I like how when a colour is splashed on this medium it takes a different look based on the surrounding and lighting; the background levitates my work,” she adds.
Monisha also dabbles with organic colours — kumkum, turmeric, multani mitti and others that are commonly used by women. "I experimented with this because I had to create a language for myself and these also connect to my memories,” she explains.
In the exhibition, Monisha has worked on things that are relevant to most of our pasts. “For example, a drawing of a doll. It brings back so many memories of one’s childhood. For me that object plays an important role. Every cell in our body is connected to some memory or the other,” says an exited Monisha who has also been part of many group art shows in Baroda and Chennai. “I spent a year in art galleries in Chennai and Palniappan, secretary, Lalit Kala Akademi, encourages me even now. He is my mentor,” she smiles.
Though her works are based on memories she has been lauded for the continuity in her works. “In one of the exhibitions in Baroda, many senior artists who saw my work said that they follow a rhythm and that is something new,” she beams.
On the other hand, she is also in the process of making her first installation using tea bags. “I chose tea bags because everyday you make tea, but still the taste differs. The same ways, though each day may seem same, it is different. This is the concept I’m working on and my next exhibition will be on that,” she explains.
(The exhibition will be inaugurated at 6:30pm today and will go on till December 30.)