Artist Statement

As a homeschooling mother, I spent many years playing multiple nurturing and facilitation roles, squeezing in my art, neatly packing it away and accepting small-sized expressions as ‘enough for now’. Over time, my children grew, as they are wont to, no longer needing me and I felt barren, lost even. My art felt shriveled and tiny. It took courage and baby steps to rekindle that fire within. I started responding to the terrain of emotions vis-a-vis experiences such as menopause, birthing, nurturing, relinquishing, and displacement. From soft undulating vibrations of love to the sharp ridges of anxiety. The land within was fertile again.

A deep shadow encountered on a walk holds treasures for me. Forms emerge from listening to a Hindustani classical vocalist’s rendition of rainfall. Large concepts float into my imagination from tiny Indian miniature paintings. Crevices, messy environments, weeds, seemingly insignificant objects, sacred symbols, crumpled, old cotton saris, dark corners, cramped, overflowing cabinets, are to me vast subjects worthy of exploration. The play between reality and abstraction, between the divine and the mundane, brings new marks, textures and ideas.

I am a wild gardener in the garden and as an artist. I love expressing chaos through my brushwork and weaving it around pools of calm. A direct reference to what I see in the world. Without the extreme contrasts, we experience, we would not grow as humans. I hope my work always creates a shift, a reaction, a visceral feeling of comfort as well as discomfort within the viewer. At this time, I am exploring emotions and its impact on the food we cook, our inner landscapes and learning new watercolor techniques.

New Brunswick Art Salon 2022 – Watercolor and Mixed Media: “After the Charm: In the Name of Autumn”



Education

  • 1999 MFA – Illustration as a Visual Essay, School of Visual Arts, New York, USA
  • 1995 BFA, Sir JJ School of Applied Art, Mumbai, India

Exhibitions

  • 2022 ‘Unseen’ Oyster Point Gallery, NJ. Curated show
  • 2022 ‘Love Show ’22”, curated work at Small World Coffee, NJ
  • 2021 ‘Images, Patterns & Textures’, Jersey City Hall, curated work.
  • 2021 Liv Painting curated by Shaobhana Hadap, Pune Handmade Paper, Pune, India
  • 2021 ‘Inner Landscapes’ Solo Show at Studio 115lb at Long Beach, California
  • 2021 Member Show at Arts Council of Princeton, NJ
  • 2021 Solo Wall Mural at Arts Council of Princeton, NJ
  • 2021 ‘Art Heals’ Curated Group Show by Karkhana Art-co-lab, Pue
  • 2021 ‘Holi’ 7 artists show at The Bridge Art Gallery, Bayonne, NJ
  • 2020 Rebirth Exhibition at The Holy Art, London, UK
  • 2020 ‘The Ocean and the Beach’ Curated Group Show, NJ
  • 2019 Chashama Curated Group Show, Matawan, NJ
  • 2018 ArtSee Open Studio Duo Show, Bridgewater, NJ
  • 2018 Myhelan Artists Group Show, The Atrium, Morristown
  • 2017 “Stop and Smell the Roses” Duo Exhibition, Clinton, NJ
  • 2017 Myhelan Artists Group Show, The Atrium, Morristown
  • 2016 Myhelan Artists Group Show, The Atrium, Morristown
  • 2015 Myhelan Artists Group Show, The Atrium, Morristown
  • 2014 Myhelan Artists Group Show, The Atrium, Morristown
  • 2013 Painting with hand-ground eco paints at Either Or, Pune
  • 2012 Joined an Art Blog
  • 2006 Group Show ‘Nuli’, Lincoln Park, NJ
  • 2004 Solo Exhibition, Dancing Goat Cafe, South Orange, NJ
  • 2004 Faculty Art Exhibition, Montclair Art Museum, NJ
  • 2004 Solo Exhibition “Hey-Ma’s Art”, Small World Cafe, Princeton, NJ
  • 2003 Group Show ‘Conversations’, Jersey City Studio Tour, NJ
  • 2003 Monroe Art Center, Hoboken, Nj
  • 2002 “Art Funda”, New Brunswick, NJ
  • 2000 ‘Best in Show Award’ 2000, 36th Annual Art Show, Bergen County, NJ
  • 1999 American Illustration #18 Book
  • 1998 The Art Directors Club, The Turning Page, NYC
  • 1998 Illustration as a Visual Essay Competition, Playboy Magazine, NYC

Artist Interview

Artist Contact: hema.bharadwaj.art@gmail.com

Artist Website: https://www.hemabharadwaj.com/