Ekta Singha

The crux of my work is the personal interpretation of layers of experiences woven with paraphernalia of design motifs, forms and elements derived from miniature paintings. My interest in Mughal, Persian and Rajput miniature paintings has helped me generate a language of my own and makes its entrance in a pictorial surface that is layered with metaphorical and personal references. Migrating from one place to another and
making a new identity becomes a variable situation which talks about the attachments and detachment with not only living beings but also with a certain place and objects, somehow it becomes the survival strategy during this tough time. The old photographs that I use as reference are not only as a documentation of history but they work as a visual sensation in my work. Simultaneously, it becomes an important visual tool to subtly transform
experiences – disturbing events and memories through its consistent appearance. In this new series of work, I have done an amalgamation of multiple materials and processes like printing, painting and embroidery on crochet, silk and other fabric. I often use burnt papers and hand crafted papers (from Bangladesh, Nepal and Rajasthan) to create the form of Jalis with geometrical designs (from Islamic architectures) and antique textures all add up to creating the metaphorical surface of my work.

This process creates a visual terrain that contains fragmented accounts of personal life and experiences in the last one year. Embroidered lines in the works sewn through the pictorial surface cutting across different planes of anecdotes and accounts deplete with fascinating images. The material usage in this new set of works plays an important role in invoking my concept about migration, lockdown memories and building new identity.