![]() More recently, when my family moved to New York from California, I decided to put my public relations career on hold and be a full time mother and artist. ![]() Even as I switched gears/countries my art practice was a constant source of inspiration and comfort. Growing up in India, I was exposed to a limited amount of curated art but there was never a dearth of vibrant art, architecture, color and history in everyday life. I am pursuing a second career as an artist post a corporate career, and I don’t have any formal training in the arts. I studied and worked in many cities and countries before finally calling the U.S. Meera: I was born and raised in Chennai (India). JJ: What is your background and how did you become an artist? I recently came across books and research papers on the mathematical roots of Kolams and how they are used in computational anthropology, algorithms and more! I resumed practicing and studying this art form more closely in 2019 and gave them centerstage during the Covid lockdown last year. Kolams were my earliest introduction to art and I was an avid participant in Kolam and Rangoli competitions throughout elementary school in India. Through these works, I share my culture and the symbolization that we are all connected/braided/woven together and are part of one race, the human race.Ĭommon Threads, 2020 (mixed media on canvas) To me, even as we physically distance, it’s a reminder we are connected and that we bond in infinite ways by shared experiences of joy, pain and healing. There are various theories about the significance of Kolams – a welcoming auspicious feature, an ode to Mother Earth, to ward off evil or a symbolic “charity begins at home” gesture as nearby ants, bugs and birds feed on the rice flour. Kolams, a daily pre-dawn ritual of women in South India, are drawn at the threshold of homes, places of worship or businesses. ![]() These are math-based geometric line compositions drawn with rice flour around a grid of dots. Meera Agarwal: Created as a response to the Covid pandemic in 2020, my Kolam/Connections series of paintings is based on the traditional South Indian art form called Kolam. J’AIPUR Journal: Please introduce our readers to your series of works that are part of our online exhibit. ![]()
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