Etching animal behaviour

Divya Patwa, is an animal lover and a keen observer of their behavior. The 31-year-old artist depicts the inherent nuances of the animals through etchings with an aim to create awareness through her bold and practical expressions.

Hailing from Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, her tryst with art started right from childhood as her inclination towards creativity culminated into pursuing art as her carrier. Feeling lucky for studying in MSU Baroda, she says, "Since then I have been practicing art and trying to evolve it through my life's experiences and observations."

About her inspiration, Divya says, "Inspiration comes to me not from any one particular thing, but from a combination of multiple things. If you ask me what inspires me to create? Nature is my biggest inspiration, my forms, textures and colours all comes from nature. It plays a very crucial role in my creative practice."

Divya as an artist doesn't want to restrict herself to only one medium. She says, "I want to explore different mediums and imprint it. It can be anything and everything. This gives me a lot of freedom to express myself in various ways. The doors of my mind are always open."

She gradually started with wood engraving which was different from standard wood work because of the skills, equipment and art involved. Some of her college day's wood engravings have been exhibited across the world.

"Of course I was unaware of it back then. I naturally gravitated towards etching. My etchings are very sensitive and give a fragile feeling.

A lot of thought goes behind making a print because it's a technical process. For me making an imprint is very sacred as it is very close to my heart. I get intensely involved in the process of etching."

About her works with animals, Divya says, "The inclination towards animals always existed since childhood, spending most of the time observing every detail of their behavior. Sooner, this inclination started reflecting in my work.

I chose to depict the melancholic nature of animals which are subjected to torture by the humans for commercial and consumption purpose.

"My work shows absurdly deceptive illusionary animal forms, which usually confronts the viewers. I also stress on the idea of animals which co-exist in tranquility. My work goes beyond any particular subject; it's based on reality more than a subject. My work is rooted on the ordeal and torture faced by the speechless.

These hybrid forms tend to levitate in the works, giving a claustrophobic experience. And preposterous "juxtaposition of the form adds to the brutality which they come across. My works intimately deals with the animal's inner persona, which talks about the duality in their nature.

By fathoming the thoughts of the animals, I enter into a new realm. I see the world through their eyes, which mystifies the whole idea behind the work," she says.

"My art is a reflection of my mind. Art is the medium I choose to express what I feel," shares Divya.

The paintings she is doing in Hyderabad for Kalakriti Art Residency programme are based on the similar series of animals, which deals with the absence. How in present scenario the animals are losing their position for the sake of human benefits.

Divya says, "I want to continue the journey I have started. I am very curious to know different art forms practiced in various parts of the world and my extensive travelling helps me do that and I try to involve all these experiences into my practice. Art is not only created inside the studios it is way beyond it."