Acrylic on canvas
A large joint family bustling with energy and activity formed the backdrop of Vishakha’s childhood and it does the same for her art. ‘Storyteller Family’ is a tribute to Vishakha’s roots and particularly her naani (maternal grandmother) from whom she drew the inspiration to tell stories. Ajji, as Vishakha would call her grandmother, was a treasure trove of creativity. Art and stories were the way she expressed herself - her love for her grandkids were knitted into sweaters, her ideas of good and evil narrated through stories and her imagination stitched into her needlework. And ajji’s energy flowed through 110, Patni Bazaar, through every member of the family and through every activity and event. Cutting vegetables became storytime, late night gatherings were storytime, summer vaccations were storytime, evening tea was storytime. Stories were the way the family communicated their past, present and future. ‘Storyteller Family’ is an expression of Vishakha’s beginnings on her journey to becoming a raconteur. Her story takes us back to the childhood that she remembers but has no photographs for. And in Vishakha’s childhood we see our own childhood. Her characters are the same uncles and aunties of our childhood and exude the same innocent perspective that our 8-year old self would have had. ‘Storyteller Family’ reimagines those images of the past that are as personal to us as they are to Vishakha