As a student in the M.S. University I found myself observing the dome shaped formation in the architecture of the Arts Faculty. The roundness of the form made me draw parallels with many images that I had in my mind. On stepping inside the monument ,I was confronted by this immense vastness of the dome .Inside- Outside. Opposites yet coming from the same formation.
My mothers aesthetics was a major influence on me as a child. I constantly observed her taste in jewellery and clothes which was simple yet very refined and elegant. As an artist today, I find myself drawing parallels between these aesthetic influences and my image making choices.
Monuments for me therefore become synonymous with symbols that represent my need for adventure and the history of the times they have been through. Every living or non-living being has a journey and I am interested in speaking about their individual histories in my work however large or small, significant yet insignificant. Maybe that is why I findmyself drawn to looking at the tiniest detail of design to the grandest and therefore the most iconic shape I might witness.This offers for me a visual universe that is an all encompassing one that hopefully goes beyond mere structure, pattern or design.
There are many metaphorical images ringing in my imaginative territory, waiting to be given physical form.
A bejeweled boat.
A chess board embellished with drawings of monuments..
A long manuscript depicting different journeys…
The list is endless.
- Navjot Sohal, Vadodara