Shobitha Hariharan

 Mumbai

"I feel that stories are like pebbles in a sling that can make us cross the barriers of time. They bring us memories from the past and can even take us to magical lands that we haven’t lived in. We experience stories with feelings that are sometimes real and often imagined. We are the carriers of present day stories too, which will become the windows that will showcase the history of our times for posterity. And this is the bank I draw from as influence for my artistic endeavour.

I have chosen ‘realistic Still Life painting’ as the visual language to narrate stories. Every element in my still life paintings is connected with the others within the frame and together they make a story unfold. The compositions contain inanimate objectsand one or more sparrows that symbolise the continuation of life as we know it.

The sparrow is symbolic of a ‘sutradhar’ - the omnipresent story teller who weaves different threads together and createsinteresting tapestry that stands the test of time. The sparrows represent you, the viewer and me the story teller too.

The lady or ladies with heart shaped heads represents ‘Penn-Naari’ - a Tamilian who grew up cosmopolitan [‘Penn’ means ‘girl’ inTamil. ‘Naari’ means ‘woman’ in Hindi]. Her head and heart are in tune making her smart and capable. This is me.

Fun fact: The shapes of the lady’s body are often inspired from bottles of stuff that we use in everyday life!

I see this series of paintings as a playful journey through timeless tomes which like our memories have many chapters boundtogether and are protected by a cover. They tell us who we are.

Recognition & Awards

Solo Exhibitions: 2023 - The Leela Gallerie Mumbai, 2022 - Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai, 2019 - David Sassoon Gallery, Mumbai, 2018 - BMW New Model launch, Mumbai