UAE’s beauty lies in providing platforms for students like me, says budding Sharjah-based Keralite artist
- 15 Aug 2020
Sakeena Banday, Staff Reporter
Varsha Nair, a Keralite based in Sharjah, is a multi-talented girl who has been fascinated by the colours since her childhood. Identifying her passion for colours back in 2015 she refined her art through the years by attending workshops and art gatherings. She has established her presence in various well-known art galleries.
The 11th grader nurtured her art since her first visit to The Cartoon Art Gallery and her first art workshop there with a renowned artist Vikrant Shitole. Spectating all amazing artists to portray their minds’ vision filled her with eagerness to do more in the field of art. Stepping on the first step towards her success and with the support of her parents, she got in touch with many artists and started enrolling herself in various other workshops. Working under many renowned artists, the young talented girl has built the confidence to play fearlessly with colours.
"I have always felt that the beauty of the United Arab Emirates in encouraging its youth and providing platforms for students like me to express and showcase our talents. I have been very fortunate to attend more than thirty exhibitions, art gatherings, and around ten live art sessions in the UAE. It has acclaimed international acceptance. I have been a part of several exhibitions hosted by The Cartoon Art Gallery, Art4You Gallery, Funun Arts, The Paintbrush Art Community, Artoze in addition to World Art Dubai in 2019," Varsha said while talking to Gulf Today.
Over a dozen of Varsha's artworks have been chosen by various art enthusiasts from the UAE and abroad to ornament their houses and offices.
"I believe that when you paint something, you put your soul into it and when you sell that painting, you are giving someone else the light of your soul."
Apart from art, during her leisure, the talented girl also plays the piano and has learned a traditional Indian dance form known as ‘Bharatanatyam’ and has performed on several stages including the Global Village.
When asked about her career plans, the ardent girl says, "Science has always been my subject of interest, it is a subject that I am deeply passionate about and so, naturally the career choice that I have set my mind on lies on the same road. When it comes to art, I’d say that art is not only a painting, it's more than that, it’s a form of expression. For me, art and science are two fascinating subjects and, it's my dream to build a career that combines the positivities from both of them because I believe that art and science are correlated and, when they merge, something extraordinary will come into existence."
"Exploring new styles and experimenting as much as I can is of my preference. I have dabbled with mediums such as pastels, charcoal, graphite, watercolors, and acrylics. However, my prime forte is acrylic as most of my artworks are created in said medium and I occasionally create works in charcoal as well. I was quite eager to develop something that would be unique to me, and that’s how the idea of generating a series titled ‘Immerse in colors’ came to be. The main subject in the entirety of the series is dynamic postures of various dance forms depicted through analytical cubism with a touch of abstraction,"
Varsha shares a little anecdote: "When I was 14 years old, I visited the Kilimanoor Palace located in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the birthplace of one of the greatest artists of all time, Raja Ravi Varma. Several of his original paintings were displayed in the palace. I went with my family, and as soon as I stepped in, I halted. It took me a solid minute to process what I saw was spectacular. There were ancient paintings and swords and armors displayed, and they were so immaculately preserved throughout the years. I was incredibly inspired, and that’s when it inspired me. What I’m doing now, might be seen 1000 years later as something beyond any numerical value. That was the point in my life that drastically changed the way I look at things. I truly, want to understand the value of what I do. I thought that one day my painting could also inspire other aspirants to follow their dreams. It filled my heart with happiness that I can’t express.