Feminine Syntax : Personal Biographies - Malavika Rajnarayan

Under one sky

I am told of an ancient proverb, which says that every time you make tea, even if you make it only once, you must make it like you would for the last time. The beauty of many such proverbs lies in their power to nudge our minds into thinking about how we define ourselves. Much of every day’s occurrences present me with questions and wonderment, urging me to find explanations or rationales that hold meaning. I am in a space of consideration when I paint; in a conversation with myself. What I perceive and how I assimilate meanings from the utterances of one day gets calibrated the very next day.

Each time I step out onto a street, my eyes observe and record incidental details that may initially not be of any consequence. Sometimes, I carry back with me sights that exude an intensity of experience, lingering in my mind for many days for better comprehension; and at other times, I may come across a visual that sets off an endless chain of associations and evocations. Walking through a crowded lane in a city, I am often confronted by the fact that ideas of home and an outer world, private and public, are all blurred into one. It seems to take only a fleeting moment, which can make the beginnings of a painting. What do I pick from all that I see under this vast sky?

An elaborate rack hangs in the garage of my parents’ home, with multiple slots, slits and holes of different sizes to suit a range of chisels, screwdrivers, pliers, files, hammers, and pincers, forming a curtain of sharpened instruments to assist one in achieving precision in engineering devices. Another room has beautifully hand-crafted musical instruments that allow one to enhance experiences by exploring the imaginative realm. Scientific rationale and the poetics of imagination hold equal fascination for me as I mediate with my reality. I juggle with both as I create apparent narratives in order to evoke an instance from myriad encounters.

The joy of being an artist lies in being able to redefine my philosophies and refine my communication with this world by constantly seeking out the magical from the ordinary. What began as a passion for drawing and painting is turning out to be a much larger sphere of discovery through the human spirit.

The story that I tell is not the story that you perceive, for it is only a murmur; the story that it tells you is one that is only yours and only everyone else’s who wish to make it theirs.

Malavika Rajnarayan

2011