Words that hurt, 2019

Concept Note

These paintings are a part of my series Body language'. It’s about my realisation of the ever changing imagery of the Earth and its similarity to the human skin. Both react to external and emotional situations by means of scarring, oozing, tearing, folding, cracking and bleeding. I address these reactions by using the female body revealing the emotional and bodily change in an unspoken language depicted via sensuous and painful multiple postures. I work spontaneously, with an inherent symbolism and moments of emotional outbursts by means of layering with textures, texts and marks that reflect the organic nature of the human form, especially the decay which is inevitable.

My creative process involves burning and rusting along with soothing strokes of blue and umber representing the earth and water. Images that intrigue me, brown wet mud, textures of erosions, fibres of decay, umber rust marks and murky indigo blue water which talk of stagnation and of neglect over time.

In my visual vocabulary, the dark skinned, curly haired pot-bellied nudes are reminiscent of the childhood memories of the South Indian temples with the lotus tanks. I represent these voluptuous goddesses as contemporary modern female forms in varied sensuous postures, aware of their sexuality and strength, intertwined with symbols and objects that represent the emotional existence and the attachment that life brings with it.

The fertile human imagery in my works speak of a feminism that displays inner strength and vulnerability. The figurative language overlaid with abstractions serve to express an almost uncontrollable tirade of dialogues, page after page almost like a book of memories, some intact and some tattered, all hidden in layers of selective remembrance.

ABOUT ARTIST

Shalu Juneja was born and raised in Chennai, India. She completed her post-graduate studies in Fine Arts at the Stella Maris College in Chennai after which she moved to Ahmedabad where she continues to live and work. Shalu works across diverse media such as charcoal sketching, painting, and sculptures. Her art delves into human beings and nature, especially the female form, and has a figurative style. She loves to experiment with different techniques and textures on her canvas. Shalu has exhibited her work widely at galleries throughout India.