10 Questions with Aishwarya Krishnan

Aishwarya Krishnan is a Bangalore-based painter and illustrator with roots in Kerala. Her works primarily revolve around scenes from her time growing up in India, often paying homage to her cultural heritage and family history. Most painted scenes are from nod to the artist’s family background as well. Coming from a long lineage of painters, including Raja Ravi Varma, she intends to bring an impressionist take to Indian scenes.

She is currently receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Illustration with a minor in Art History from Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida. Her work process is quick and intuitive and started as a form of release from a difficult household situation growing up. The process mimics the loud and high-energy attitude that Aishwarya holds. This rather instinctive process is what made her enjoy painting as much as she does today.

www.aishukrishnan.net | @ak_beasty

ARTIST STATEMENT

“My work over the past years has been a direct reflection of my emotional state of mind and cultural influences growing up in India. I have always resorted to exhibiting brush strokes to express that mood I may feel while keeping in mind a narrative I keep close to my heart.

Each painting shows scenes of growing up in India, and the expressive brushstrokes are a reflection of the impact it has left on me. These paintings represent elements of solitude and loneliness, with its dichotomy of serenity.

In each painting, I use metaphors and colour symbolism that are recognisable with my Indian heritage. I use varying people, landscapes, and figures that are both typical of Indian scenery as well as my view of my cultural identity.” — Aishwarya Krishnan

INTERVIEW

First of all, could you tell us a little more about your background? Painting is deeply rooted in your family; how does this influence your work?

My art is highly reflective of and inspired by Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma, to whom I have the privilege of being related. Because of this, I also feel the strong need to create paintings that are a reflection of my Indian culture, especially since that plays such a huge role in the way I view the world. Another reason I have always painted is because both my parents have been incredibly supportive of me pursuing my craft. This has, in profound ways, led me to grow up and realize how much I can fall back onto my culture and my home- my safe space.

What is your personal aim as an artist?

As an artist, it is essential to me that I use my paintings as a way of educating and normalizing Indian culture. A lot of Indian culture goes unnoticed, and often, that leads to ignorant comments from others. Creating more artworks that depict the Indian lifestyle is my way of making sure I can share my culture with others, with the hope that they can take away something new.

You mention how you want to "bring an impressionist take to Indian scenes." How did you come up with this idea?

For me, while my subject matter was very influenced by Raja Ravi Varma, the stylistic choices in my paintings have been heavily inspired by Amrita Sher-Gil. I have also been influenced by Amrita Sher-Gil's color choices in my typical go-to color palettes. Besides that, my instinctive painting process is very quick and intuitive, which is why an impressionist style comes very naturally to me as an artist.

You often work with portraits. How important is it for you to depict real people? Or do you prefer fictional characters?

For me, coming from a historically underrepresented culture, I believe it is so important to highlight and acknowledge the people behind the stories. I have never had much of an affinity for fictional worlds or people and found myself always being far more inspired and creatively motivated by learning about real-life people and stories. With that being said, most of my portraits are of people I hold dear to me. This makes the creation process intimate and enjoyable. In my opinion, I find it important to tell stories of real people, especially since the Indian voice has been overshadowed for so long.

Waits, Oil on MDF, 20x24 in, 2023 © Aishwarya Krishnan

Growing up in India, your Indian heritage became a central element in your art. How do you incorporate it into your work?

For me, that is the focal subject matter in all my work. Since I feel so passionately about my culture, it is a driving force to make art that is reflective of my time growing up in India. Certain aspects that have left a long-lasting impact on me, such as my sense of family, are something I often showcase in the portrait work I do. Being able to capture Indian scenes and people are ways I believe I can promote more representation of my culture.

What is the most challenging part of your art?

That's such a good question. My biggest struggle in my artistic process has been trying to slow my process down. While my quick process lends itself to my affinity for impressionist artwork, I struggle with being able to deviate from what I know and enjoy. My process has not changed at all because I find this authentic. This has sometimes caused self-doubt from time to time, which can be a challenging thought process to deal with.

Home, Oil on MDF, 16x20 in, 2023 © Aishwarya Krishnan

Do you have any artists or role models that influence and inspire your work?

My list is endless! From Indian master painters, such as Raja Ravi Varma and Amrita Sher-Gil, to M.F. Hussain and Nagesh Goud, the artists that inspire my work are far too many to count. However, those four artists have most definitely had the most evident stylistic and subject-matter choice influence on my work and creative process.

What do you hope that the public takes away from your work?

I hope to be able to simply share more about my culture. I have come to realize that by simply representing and showing things I consider normal, I am able to educate others a little more on Indian culture. I really hope I can have these paintings stand as an understanding of a part of the world that a lot of people may not necessarily know a lot about. Breaking away from stereotypes and representing realistic scenes is what I believe can help educate society on not giving in to stereotypical representations of Indian culture.

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

I am working on a very exciting project (that I would like to publish eventually) with visual pieces intertwined with old poems from letters in my mother's house. This is a passion project that I am once again doing with a nod to not only my family history but also to my Indian heritage by visually depicting scenes I have grown up seeing. Being able to combine the written word with a visual representation of what India has been for me is almost like a diary of sorts. I hold this next project very close to my heart because of this.

Finally, how has your 2023 been so far? Is there anything else you would like to achieve this year?

2023 has been so much fun in terms of shaping my artistic identity and purpose. I have come into myself as an artist and now have more of a sense of self than I have ever had, thanks to the art that I have made this year. If there is anything I would like to do before the year ends, it would be reaching more of an audience this year, especially because, to me, the more I can share my art with the world, the more we can see Indian representation.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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