Heena Pari talks about her solo show ‘Cocooning’

“The urge to be outdoor, particularly two months into the primary lockdown, was overwhelming. Summers are once we would journey as a household and people recollections labored their means into my sketches,” says Bengaluru-based artist Heena Pari, who didn’t realise then that the physique of labor she produced through the pandemic would lead to her second solo present.

The artist who started practising about 10 years in the past, says her work and imagery have largely been influenced by her family, nature, journey and main life conditions — all of which have been thrown into sharper distinction over the previous two years.

Artist Heena Pari
| Photograph Credit score: Particular Association

Speaking about ‘Cocooning’, Heena says your complete physique of labor was centred round how she retreated into her kitchen and backyard through the pandemic and the way these areas nurtured and nourished her and her household at the moment. “I realised I couldn’t dismiss the predicament we have been in and if I didn’t tackle the state of affairs, I used to be not being related as an artist.”

Completely different segments of ‘Cocooning’ depict Heena’s fast-changing world. ‘Corona Sequence’ comprising 12 frames of acrylic on paper was her response to the lockdown. “Abruptly, our vocabulary included phrases equivalent to virus, sanitiser, unfold, hand contact, whereas phrases equivalent to ‘bubble’ have been getting used to characterize one thing aside from lightness, for maybe the primary time ever.”

Masks turned an on a regular basis accent throughout this era. Whereas home certain, Heena labored on canvas material and acrylic, initially purposed for one more challenge. ‘Darkish Cloud,’ is a large set up of a masks suspended from the ceiling, full with ear loops. “It looms massive overhead and just like the masks we use, although it affords safety and luxury, additionally it is stifling and suffocating.”

‘Two Waves’ from artist Heena Pari’s solo present ‘Cocooning’
| Photograph Credit score: Particular Association

Utilizing two panels of free-flowing material, Heena has portrayed the ‘Two Waves’. “lt is a illustration of how we’re collectively and in isolation. The panel of self-printed, free-flowing organza represents the lightness of being collectively versus the panel of harsh black embroidery on linen. A needle piercing via material is a painful course of, akin to what it felt like once we have been remoted.”

Two video installations are part of the sequence. Whereas ‘On Autopilot’ reveals how handwashing turned the norm following any social trade, ’The Nice Escape’ presents the ever-changing skyscapes as considered from Heena’s terrace — a welcome respite through the lockdown.

‘Getaway’ from artist Heena Pari’s solo present ‘Cocooning’
| Photograph Credit score: Particular Association

With a collage of images on acquainted kitchen implements, Heena created ‘Getaway’. “Although I loved cooking up a storm and spending high quality time with my household, there was part of going outdoors which I appreciated quite a bit and this sequence stems from these comfortable instances.” An oil dispenser, spatula, espresso pot and different dishes give viewers a peek into pre-Covid instances.

After the primary lockdown, Heena attended an exhibition and workshop on quilting by ladies from the Siddhi neighborhood. “It was an eye-opener for me in addition to a humbling expertise to find out how all of us had skilled the identical factor through the pandemic. The method of quilting was new and thrilling and it turned the bottom for ‘My Favorite Issues’,” she says. The gathering contains 27 round, quilted patches sewn with on a regular basis motifs.

‘My Favorite Issues’ from artist Heena Pari’s solo present ‘Cocooning’
| Photograph Credit score: Particular Association

Heena says that in perspective, she realises that she drew energy and inspiration from Nature. “This complete sequence was my means of claiming what I did through the pandemic and lots of people associated to it on account of their shared experiences.”

The ultimate assortment within the sequence, ‘Push and Pull’ depict the fixed tug of struggle between her love for her household and her ardour for her artwork.

Heena says the previous two years have given her an perception into herself. “I stored returning to my artwork to get some semblance of consolation and I realised it was a means for me to be myself and make sense of what’s going on in my head. I course of my feelings via patterns, they develop into a means for me to meditate — I wouldn’t have used these phrases earlier,” she says.

Registering the importance of the date, Heena ensured ‘Cocooning’ opened on March 25, 2022 at Bengaluru’s No 1 Shanti Highway, the second anniversary of India going into lockdown. The sequence can now be considered at heenapari.com