Rithika Pandey
Blending Hindu and Buddhist mythology, Rithika Pandey takes us into the nerve centre of the contested relationship between nature and humans and the innumerable worlds along the way
Then you look at an artwork by Rithika Pandey, there are certain elements that leap off the canvas. A range of conical forms jut out of circular human faces; a ginormous blackbird is suspended in a human house between two magical pillars; a black dog with a constellation on his belly holds onto a man's legs for dear life.
A sense of environmental angst and anxiety shows up in her canvas by taking a circuitous journey beginning from Indian villages to the Welsh countryside.
"I like building strange and eccentric worlds," the Varanasi-born artist says. "After the second year of my art college, I travelled the world to gain the kind of insights I wasn't getting in art college. I was particularly inspired by the Welsh countryside and was happy to get into any arts college there, small or big, as long as I got the space to work."
Amidst the calm of the countryside, Pandey's art form became more structured. She could finally witness the degradation of humans and their relationship with nature-the willful ignorance of it all, how we keep pushing the limits of how much the natural world can take before it snaps into two.
This story is from the February 2023 edition of Elle India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2023 edition of Elle India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Indu Antony And The Gentle Art Of Feminism
In an unfiltered conversation with Akshaya Pillai, the multidisciplinary artist lays out a manifesto for a creative life
Taapsee Pannu: A True Original
The actor in conversation with Ainee Nizami Ahmedi on the roles that shape her on & off screen
Canvas Chronicles
The rise of art-cations is elevating conventional vacations into a therapeutic medium of catharsis and transformation for the soul, finds Hasina Jeelani
A FEAST For The EYES
What goes into making a dish that looks like a masterpiece? Notable chefs take Isha Mayer through the art of plating
Yala's Hidden Gem
Zoha Castelino visits the Hilton Yala Resort, where elegance meets nature
The New Wave
Barry Rodgers on the artists to have on your radar, as recommended by gallerists
Tracing Tattoo Trails
Sakshi Rawte on the developing relationship between crossing continents and lines of ink
Sculpted In Time
2022 Venice Biennale's youngest artist, Niyamat Mehta, takes Geetika Sachdev through her art journey
Crafting His Narrative
Yuvraj Menda in conversation with Ipsita Kaul on his much-talked-about debut and his enduring love for Home Alone
Can't Stop Blushin'
This cult-favourite product has taken over our beauty shelves, and we're not complaining, reports Urmi Dande