Sacred Spaces in a Path of Awakening
<!-- --> Ensconced in the spiritual ambience of Thiruvannamalai, in Tamil Nadu, spread across the Holy Mountain of Arunachala to the revered Goddess Mariamma, is where artist Asma Menon draws inspiration from. Her deeply engrained Indian roots, embodies the existence of sacred groves, hero stones in villages to behold fields of flowers, sugarcane , shrines, ponds that all come together and make the divine very palpable. Menon creates fantasy in a mythical land with trees, animals, humans and divine figures in an ephemeral plane that unites her spirit within the galaxies. The feminine form in her compositions create spiritual cadences to convey mythological quotations. The artist manages to bridge the gap between her ancestral roots to present day contemporary art practices. “As an artist and a woman, I feel akin to the embodiments bestowed on the Greek Mythological character of Pandora, for without curiosity, what would I SEEK, for without LOVE, how would I express, for without CREATIVITY how would I Journey, in my Caravan of Nomadic Passion, to realms yet to be discovered”… The art works encapsulate forms within forms, emerging as motifs of clairvoyance that she imagines, to ride on the wind to “discover the silence within the storm”. Her paintings are a melange of representational forms that include her impressions of trees, animals, human and divine figures to lead to the call of the tangible and the intangible. Asma Menon’s unbridled creations with layered textures, resonate like a canticle with a recurrent theme, that invites the viewer to walk along her path of Awakening. Asma Menon <!-- --> Asma Menon hailing from Chennai and Bangalore, is born in 1961. A Master of Fine Arts degree from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai, she has gained recognition both nationally and internationally for her skilfulness in painting and printmaking. Her works have been featured in more than 10 Solo exhibitions and 50 Group exhibitions, including creating a presence in auctions at the prestigious Christie’s. For more than 25 years, her art has illuminated and emphasized both the ancestral and contemporary Indian character, in a uniquely intertwining myth to everyday life, through her artistic expression. Her artistic creativity also includes engaging with children, conducting corporate training, and participating in both Indian and international art and printmaking camps. Asma has published her collection of short stories, titled "Moonlight Baby." She has been awarded a Senior Fellowship from the Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, for the period of 2005 to 2007. Asma now resides at Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu and is currently engaged in the writing of her next novel. Email - asmamenon.artist@gmail.com Duration of show – 19th July to 31nd July, 2025 Timing – 11 am to 6.30 pm ( Tuesday to Sunday )