“Cellscapes”

Shaanea Amantha Mendis D’Silva is a Sri Lankan born artist currently based in Mumbai, India. After completing her primary and secondary education at Ladies’ College, Colombo 7, she went on to pursue her passion for Fine Art, at the Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore in 2003. Today, Shaanea speaks to Life about her upcoming solo exhibition ‘Cellscapes’, her inspirations and about art in general.

Enlighten our readers about your exhibition, ‘Cellscapes’. What is it all about?

‘Cellscapes’ is a name I coined up for my individual series of work, which was initially inspired by the intricate textures and details from nature, marks left on surfaces through time and patterns that form organically like the textural patterning on skin, tree bark surfaces, or the intricate vein patterns of a leaf. Sometimes it may be a view from a microscope, and the idea that everything around us and including us are made up of the tiniest, minute particles. All these particles are part of a much larger picture. My work is meditative in both the process of creation and viewing.

What tools do you use?

I use pen and ink, watercolour and I also work with iron (nails mostly) to bring out rust stains on to paper or canvas. There is the the element of chance and the outcome being not entirely in my control, leaving it to a natural process which brings it closer to nature's way.

When, where and at what time will the exhibition take place?

May 16 - 18, 2015. (Open to the public between 9am and 6pm), with a private preview on May 15. At the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, Colombo 7.

From whom or what do you draw inspiration from?

My earliest inspiration was probably my own mum who is very artistic herself, and the talent is passed on through my genes no doubt. My dad is also very creative, more in thought and words, and has always been very encouraging.

Nature is probably my biggest inspiration. I also am fascinated by the work of certain land artists like Andy Goldsworthy and Richard Long, who work alongside and closely with nature. Richard Long walked up and down a field until it wore a way of path 'a line made by walking'. This intrigued me and inspired me to explore unorthodox methods of drawing, which is when I started working with rust as a medium. I was also inspired by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, who uses gunpowder explosives as his medium.

Through your work, do you explore a variety of themes or do you follow a specific theme?

There are the formalist aspects, the technique, The use of rust stains in my work, evolved from the initial pen and ink cellscapes. I explore various mediums. The current exhibition will be mostly in watercolour, pen and ink and rust stains. The process of rusting provides a further element of chance, as external factors play a role in determining the outcome, bringing the work closer to nature’s way of treatment and creating marks on a surface. Both these methods have a meditative quality about them, both in the process of creation and viewing the final work. My aim is to have my viewer reflect on the notion that we are all, and everything around us, made up of the tiniest particles that is not even sometimes visible to the human naked eye, yet all an integral and part of a much larger picture.

This is a reflection of our society as well. So you could say there is a social commentary attached. I’d like each individual viewer to have their own interpretation of the work. What it is to me as the artist and what it is to my audience may be different, and that’s okay. That is also an underlying message. The intricate details of a much larger picture, interpreted and perceived differently.

Art. What does it mean to you? Is this your passion?

A trick question! We could write a book on this subject, in fact there are many, but yes it is very much my passion. To put it simply, it is a creative release and expression of ideas, visually in the case of visual arts, a visual language between the artist and the viewer. I could go on and on.

Interviewed by Vajini H. Gunaratne