Born and raised up in Bombay, Shyamolie Madhavji is a passionate visual artist; whose artworks are narratives from the streets of Bombay influenced by the culture of Kutch, her native in Gujarat. Surrounded by family members, deep-rooted in art and artistic passions, she has also picked up on this and decided to build a career out of her artistic pursuits.
Her art picks up on experiences in the Bombay locale infusing in with the colours, textures and motijs of Rogan and Ajrakh – the famous folk arts of Gujarat. A summer course in her 11th grade from the Arts University of Bournemouth, helped her realise her potential and shaped her vision into building artworks that speak for themselves. Her visit to her native village in Kutch in 2016, inspired her to revive the dying traditions and give them a style of its own. Since then, her brush has never looked back and she has developed multiple series and collections stimulating the theme further.
Her artworks are the window to the experiences of a Bombay resident, along with the beautiful sights and sounds of Mumbai that one sees on their daily routine. While these may just appear as everyday scenes to some, for many have a sentimental connect, a nostalgia associated with these subjects and when presented in the style of Shyamolie these become the exuberant body of work that one can resonate and align with.
After and during college, she spent her years attending art residencies and interning with art galleries across Mumbai and India. Currently, she is a part of the art department at Art for Concern. Her experiences working across these institutions widened her scope of vision, each piece adding to her already flamboyant style. During college, she ran into art critics who found her works had an overdose of colour and textures, but eventually were silenced as she spoke more about her work and inspirations.
She draws inspiration from the works of contemporary artists Sameer Kulavoor, Sudhir Patwardhan, Faigh Ahmed and Shelly Jyoti and the modern masters Jogen Chowdhury, F N Souza, T. Vaikuntam, Manu Parekh and Manjit Bawa. The experimental art style that she has developed can be seen having a piece of each of these artists. She further wants to keep exploring and reviving the culture of her motherland, as she brings in new perspectives through her canvas. She has had an experience of working with various mediums like photography, installations, fabrics and textile prints. She works with various mediums but acrylics and gouache find more space on her shelf.
She has exhibited in a couple of group shows. Her first solo show would be a memory to cherish, she tells us. As a young emerging artist, she believes that artists shouldn’t get carried away with negative comments but rather focus on building on the positives. “Be opinionated and do what you love” and that’s how one can carve a path for themselves is her belief.
Apart from art, she is an ardent sports and adventure lover. She loves to participate in community activities and spend time exploring her limits as an artist. If not into arts, she might have considered fashion styling as a viable career to keep her love for fabrics and art alive.
Loved her work! 🙌