Seema is a self-taught artist, who has trained under the Hong Kong based Taiwanese artist Christopher Ku. A two-time cancer survivor, Seema took up painting as a full time career in 2013 after recovery from treatment. Most of her training was in oil, and after initially embarking on creating abstracts in oil and acrylic, she moved on to Chinese ink on canvas in 2015. Of Indian descent, Seema has been based in Hong Kong for over a decade and her art is deeply influenced by her personal experiences and lived environment.
Seema's artistic philosophy is one of constant curiosity, seeking inspiration in the most complex artist and architect of all - nature. She is also fascinated by the sciences, and sees art as a way of bridging the gap between the scientific/rational left brain and the intuitive/emotional right brain, a contradiction echoed internally in the struggle between control and chaos. The resulting artwork evokes the Taoist philosophy of the union of yin and yang through expressive abstract landscapes. The complexity of human relationships and the struggle of the human against the environment, particularly acute in Hong Kong’s crowded urbanscape, are underlying themes in her work.
Seema’s initial work took inspiration from the Fibonacci sequence and its expression in nature. Influenced by her experiences of cancer treatment, her early work features dramatic splashes of yellow, but over time has evolved into a more subtle and sophisticated expression with greater concentration on monochromatic shades of black. The Fibonacci sequence recurs in much of her early work in geometric lines and shapes as well as subtler interventions such as the proportions of paint mix or spaces on the canvas.
In terms of technique, since first discovering the curious effect that Chinese ink has on canvas in 2015, Seema has been focused on adapting this medium from the traditional rice paper to canvas and the abstract art style. To this end, she has experimented with using different catalysts with Chinese ink to create media that enable her to achieve unusual and unique visual effects. Her technique also involves meticulously controlling the surface tension of the canvas and ink. Her work thus explores the chemistry and physics inherent in this type of art-making. More recently, she has been fine-tuning previously discovered techniques with the use of panels and weights. She repurposes items from her home, especially the kitchen, terming her method “post-apocalyptic foraging”. Implicit in her practice is a commitment to sustainability through recycling of tools and material where possible.
Seema's most recent work thematically displays a self-reflexivity whereby she meditates on the myriad possibilities of the medium, drawing parallels to the many layers within our innermost selves. This enquiry has pushed her in exciting new directions both thematically and technically, moving from darker emotional expression to more playful and philosophical themes. Most recently, Seema has been using pigment powders in her work, which induce a feeling of organic progression through the addition of textural dimensions.
The Red Square/Dot is the artist’s unique signature, derived from the red name stamp which is used in traditional Chinese ink paintings. Some of Seema’s recent works have seen the introduction of subtle colours, these works are signed with a square/dot of a complimentary colour.
