Druvinka’s many-layered works of art from within and without

By Smriti Daniel

Her art inspires the most minute examination, and yet on the other hand it demands you to take a step back, and then another, to pull out and see, quite literally, the bigger picture. Paradoxical it might seem yet, that’s Druvinka for you. Fluid, profound, and many layered, her art never ceases to intrigue and engage. With her latest exhibition, Beneath and Beyond II, this artist is back in the spotlight, and once more her work promises to be something well out of the ordinary.

This exhibition is in many ways a continuation of her 2006 showing at the Barefoot Gallery titled Beneath and Beyond. As an artist, Druvinka says she is constantly searching, attempting to go at once beneath herself, into the intricacies of self, and beyond into the realms where the insubstantial aspects of human nature lie, where one can find faith and perhaps even freedom.

She seems to see in her work a reflection of her own struggle to strip away the inconsequential and see what remains. Simply being born, she says, introduces us into a world governed by the rules and regulations of society. When such things are imposed upon us, we adapt to them, cloaking ourselves with the niceties of civilisation. Thereby we lose sight in some ways our inner selves. Only when we are face to face with our innermost selves, when there is understanding and acceptance of who we are, can we be at peace.

In her latest work she celebrates, in particular, women, saying simply, “I want women to feel good about themselves.” Her painting, while abstract, reveals upon closer examination, the shadowy form of the elephant. Pointing out that the elephant herd is matriarchal, Druvinka adds that she sees echoes of feminine power throughout Mother Nature. In her work, she also makes extensive use of the Yoni and Shivalingam as symbols of the male and female.

Beneath and Beyond II carries underlying tones of Druvinka’s own feelings of personal comfort and space. Having recently made the move from Mysore to Nagar, located at the foot of the Himalayas, living there has had the effect of putting things into perspective for Druvinka, she says laughing. After all there’s nothing like a large mountain to make you feel very small.

Beneath and Beyond II is on from February 14 to 23 at the Barefoot Gallery, Colombo 3.