Since acknowledging art at 10, when her father bought some paintings to adorn the walls of their home, Sadhna Prasad has come a long way. After her art shows at London and at Brooklyn in New York, the 24-year-old is now set to showcase her work at the Mahua Art Gallery in the city, as a proud (and only) recipient of the HK Kejriwal Young Artist Award from Bengaluru.
Introduced by Chitrakala Parishath in memory of its founding member, this annual award was initiated in 1988 to promote new artistic talent in the country. Sadhna stands as the only one from Bengaluru out of thousands of applicants. “There is just so much more motivation now to keep producing more work, keep expressing my thoughts onto canvas or digital form. I am very excited to meet all the artists and art lovers and draw inferences from them and collaborate with them on something fresh!” says the young artist, who received her artistic foundation at Srishti School of Design before finding her voice at the Camberwell College of Arts, University of Arts London in London.
Sadhna’s technique is simple — she prioritises colour over form. “There is just so much positivity and contrast. I think this is what makes me different — I can channelise any thought into a vibrant colour scheme, maintaining the complexity of the thought,” she adds, drawing influence from Frida Kahlo, an artiste that she believes, pushes her to lay her thoughts bare and not sugar coat a thing. Her themes usually surround parallel alternate worlds, deconstructing stereotypes, experiences, self reflection and duality, which might also explain why she’s an active part of the Aravani Art Project in the city — a powerful initiative that is looking to organically create a space for the transgenders in the field of arts and crafts.
The graphic designer, illustrator and visual storyteller has had three shows in London alone, including one at the Hoxton Arches Gallery. Her biggest moment however, she says, was winning the Adobe and Colossal Biggest Student Art Show where her work was painted on a huge wall in Brooklyn. “I am an artist from a house of art lovers and that’s something that also makes me very proud,” she adds. “I am currently exploring canvas medium through a series of self portraits. Hopefully, I will get opportunities to travel to unexplored places and draw a complete experience and reproduce that through my work,” she adds.
