Shalini Bharadwaj
Shalini describes herself as a ‘Creative Experimentalist.’ She says, ‘For me creativity is a journey of experimentation and exploration. The process is as important as the end result. Whether it’s painting, digital design or jewellery making, I rarely start with a preconceived idea. I like to see where the material and momentum take me.'
Talking about her painting technique Shalini says, ‘As a contemporary artist, I enjoy still life, abstract, figurative, landscape work and stylised portraiture. In my paintings, I like playing with intense areas of light and shadow and often contrasting that with the subtlety of translucent objects. I use a mix of acrylic paint, liquid charcoal, graphite pencil and high pigment inks to create textural and visual layering in my paintings.’
‘When people engage with art that resonates with their own memories and experiences, it can lead to a rich tapestry of emotions and responses. With my paintings I try and tap into shared cultural and personal associations, may it be memories of travel, childhood nostalgia, transient notions of the passage of time, ephemera or identity. I like to weave intriguing visual stories with enough margin for personal interpretation which allows for a wide range of empathy and connection.’
Shalini’s work is mainly inspired by her Indian roots and her childhood spent in India, she explores memories of people, places, objects and travel in her work.
She is passionate about design and has a love for all things handmade, jewellery being one of them. In 2017 Shalini founded her own jewellery brand called HUTKE - a collection of statement gemstone jewellery. Each piece is original and handmade to order in limited edition. Shalini enjoys creating bespoke statement pieces and describes her jewellery as 'Wearable Art’.
