Introduction to Two Inspiring Artists
Janhavi Khemka’s journey as an artist is deeply rooted in her relationship with her mother, who was her earliest inspiration. Born in Varanasi, India, in 1993, Khemka is hearing impaired. Her mother taught her to read lips in Hindi at a young age and encouraged her artistic exploration. After her mother’s passing when Khemka was 15, the lessons she learned helped her navigate a complex world and inspired her art through light, touch, experimental sound, and tactile media.
Janhavi Khemka: An Interdisciplinary Artist
Khemka has made a name for herself as an interdisciplinary artist working across various media, from woodcut to painting, performance, and animation. She holds an MFA from the prestigious School of Art Institute of Chicago and previously one from Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan. Her time at Santiniketan was transformative, helping her grow, understand how her disability influences her identity, and deepen her commitment to art. Khemka’s art has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions, often referencing her experience as a hearing-impaired person who perceives sound through vibration.
Overcoming Challenges
Despite the support of friends and mentors, Khemka faces a lack of accessibility and the constant need to explain her experiences to others, which can be exhausting. Her work, such as "Impress/Ion" and "Your name, please?", is interactive and includes direct exchanges with individual spectators. In 2021, she created "Letter to my mother," a vibrating platform decorated with a projected animated light pattern consisting of lips from woodcuts, remembering how her mother taught her to read lips.
Mayuri Chari: Conceptual Artist
Mayuri Chari, a conceptual artist, hopes for a free and confident existence for herself and women everywhere. Her work focuses on the female body, challenging how women are seen, positioned, and treated in Indian society. Chari examines these themes through various mediums like printing, textile, film, and even cow dung. Her art often sparks controversy, as it introduces realistic, imperfect, and brave naked female bodies, contrasting with the typical depiction of women as goddesses or objects of consumption.
Chari’s Journey and Inspirations
Born in Goa in 1991, Chari was influenced by her father, a carpenter, and began doing art in school where her teachers encouraged her. After her father’s death, Chari faced opposition from her family, especially her older uncle, when she pursued higher studies. Despite this, she earned a master’s in Fine Arts with the help of friends, scholarships, and her husband. Chari believes that caste, more than gender, has impacted the reception of her work, with large galleries often favoring artists from higher castes.
Advice for Young Artists
Both Khemka and Chari offer valuable advice for aspiring young artists. Khemka emphasizes the importance of making art with courage, patience, and hope, and being ready to face challenges directly. Chari advises staying free and independent in thought, not following others but instead forging one’s own path. Chari’s current projects include a documentary about rural female sugar workers and textile projects dealing with trousseau production, a practice passed down from her mother. Khemka hopes to make a film with woodcut-print animations examining her relationship with her mother, a theme that continues to inspire her work.
