Nidhi Agarwal
about the artist
A quote from an art critic on Agarwal’s recent show with Nature Morte in Delhi described her work as follows; ‘some convey a nervous energy, some delight in the disturbing, but all of them celebrate life’. This is a good place to begin when considering Nidhi’s paintings. Her approach is quite unique amongst her peers as she works in a hybrid style that encompasses abstraction, figuration and primitivism. Her style is International but her subject matter is contemporary India.
Many of Agarwal’s images hold strong figurative references which together with shapes, form and her bold use of colour offer a content which is there to be taken if the viewer chooses. Her work is an interesting place to consider exactly how abstraction in painting can hold such strong narratives. In other words how a group of shapes, forms and colour that are not directly representational of our everyday can in fact offer a story for the viewer. As with life, whilst everyday issues may be can serious, the artist understands that one way to approach this is through humour so things that can initially be scary can become less so by making them humorous. It is to her credit that so many fine lines can be addressed in each painting.
Nidhi’s compositions are bold and accomplished; she understands colour and uses it with confidence. Brush strokes and thick application of paint and other materials build up her impasto technique and produce images that demand attention and cannot and should not be ignored.
bio
Nidhi Agarwal lives and works in Delhi. Graduating from Delhi College of Art she has been the recipient of several International Arts Awards allowing her to work and travel extensively in the US, Europe and Asia. Nidhi's work has been exhibited with major Galleries in India most recently her solo show Psychic which was shown by Nature Morte, one of India's leading Galleries.
