Vibrant...Carefree..Sensual..The Work Of Shalini Seereeram
In the first in a series of interviews in which After Nyne meet artists from the Go Global online gallery, we meet Shalini Seereeram.
Shalini Seereeram is an innovative Caribbean artist who is renown for creating colourful portraits of women using acrylics, oil, nail varnish and even reclaimed windows. Born in Trinidad and Tobago in January 1972, Shalini spent most of her life in a remote island setting, surrounded by the scenic countryside. Her early career as a graphic artist and jewellery designer is evident in her work.
Shalini’s signature style is informed by vivid colours, continuous lines, intricate patterns, swirls and dramatic contrasts; reminiscent of her Indian-Caribbean culture. She has also taken on an advocacy role as she is one of the first openly LGBT artists in her country, and her recent work explores the topic of intimacy between women.
Have you always pursued a career as an artist?
Yes, I have always wanted to do something creative especially after losing my home as a child by fire. Exploration of different resources took on a new meaning in my life and this stayed with me, so I entered into the realm of the arts both tactile and through painting. At that time, I couldn’t entirely afford the paints so my materials were recycled papers, nail polish and old chattel windows. This took my work onto a new path in my career. Are you self-taught or did you go to art school?
I am mostly self-taught. Art as a subject was taught on a technical level as a part of my degree in Graphic Design and Jewelry Design at the tertiary level.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by vibrant portraits of women, celebrating life and being carefree. Their delicate innate beauty and strength; sensual beings personified as symbols of sanctuaries embodying love. I am also driven by the desire to portray their nurturing characteristics and the ability of just being free to be.
I am also driven as an Indo-Caribbean woman artist in a male dominated society, and by the desire to be seen one of their equal peers. I would like my paintings to reach a wider audience internationally. This inspires me. As an artist, what themes do you focus on?
Currently, I have challenged myself in my career to show intimacy between women in a society where love and relationships between the same sex is noted, but not accepted. This is a social issue, where gender equality matters in my country of Trinidad and Tobago and in the wider Caribbean region, are not entirely met. It was not something I intentionally portrayed in my work as an artist due to the impact it would have on my artistic career - but, I truly believe that it evolved into something that needed to be expressed on an artistic platform.
To be a positive role model for any young person who is faced with the challenges of acceptance and equality is important to me. I want them to know that they are not alone in this world. I was recently asked to be a contributor on a religious panel addressing LGBT issues in Hinduism. My contribution was one of my paintings entitled “Sindoor” which addressed the ritual of applying the sindoor or mark on the forehead to each other as a symbol of the renewal of marital vows, the only difference was it portrayed same sex marriage between women.
Please tell us a bit about some of your most important exhibitions to date. Why were these so important for you personally and for your career? My first showing of course was my catalyst in my career in 1999. It was very successful and it took place not in my homeland but in a gallery in Barbados. This exposure motivated me to be transitioned out of the advertising industry as a graphic artist and into the field of visual arts as a painter. Following such, I was approached by the Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago in Washington D.C to be a representative of the visual arts to showcase my work at the (OAS) Organization of the American States to commemorate the celebration of Independence Day. This marked another milestone in my career where my work was able to captivate a wider audience, internationally.
Finally, my latest exhibition in 2015 at Campbell’s of London Art and Framing Gallery is the furthest location to date for international exposure in my career. It was there that I was able to portray intimacy between women in my work openly, with less reservation and to engage in freedom of expression of my true self.
How has your artwork changed over the years? Honestly, when I had my first exhibition, I couldn’t afford much so I used and repurposed just about anything. It was my era of experimentation in being creative. Recycled papers, nail polish, broken coloured glass, dyes and old chattel windows (from traditional wooden houses) for the procurement of affordable framing were my resources.
My illustrative subjects were more fragmented and geometric, seen as a clear interpretation of shapes and form. Then, over the years, they became less technical and more delicate, softer in line as my medium changed and I had the privilege of affording paints.
How do you see your work developing in the future?
I would like to explore a more three-dimensional path to my work in which I have already embarked on. I suppose using more sustainable and recyclable pieces to create beauty by giving trash a life of its own.
Why did you join an online gallery - Go Global Art?
An artist should not be limited to their own community. One should always see themselves and their branches of creativity as a part of a larger platform. It’s only in doing so can we begin to truly grow and even influence each other’s growth through our own experiences, learnt techniques and also showcasing our cultural differences in creativity on a more global market.
What other galleries are you affiliated with?
Campbell’s of London Art and Framing Gallery in England
Horizons Art and Framing Gallery and YART and Framing Gallery in Trinidad & Tobago
Who are your favourite artists and why?
My two favourite artists are Frida Kahlo and Gustav Klimt. Kahlo, because she was a brave and liberated woman who challenged herself to create despite all her physical and social limitations, when others may have given up. And Klimt, for he captured the ornate beauty adorning his subjects as though he were more obsessed with it than with the subject themselves.
If you could own just one work of art what would it be?
Most definitely it would be a Klimt original, either ‘Water Snakes 1’ or ‘Adele Bloch-Bauer 1 Necklace’.
What are your favourite places to view art?
I enjoyed my trip to Tate Modern. I like gallery interactions during an exhibition but not when it is overcrowded, it tends to sometimes take away from your experience and taints it with external influence.
Other favourite places are street art as seen in Cuba for instance, where you can appreciate raw culturally-inspired talent not just in the visual arts but also in music and dance.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
My studio is an annex to my home located in the countryside of a small village in central Trinidad. It’s usually messy and it’s like an obstacle course with glass, metal pieces I have collected, wood, paints, canvases and numerous recyclable materials in my way to distract and inspire me. I usually try to clean up before each exhibition or when I have visitors. Funny how that can be a task in itself!
Do you have any studio rituals?
Yes, I usually light my ‘nag champa’ incense or oil and listen to interesting documentaries to keep my mind company. If not, I’m in the zone when it comes to global music fusion, like sitar playing and other melodious tunes. What are you working on currently? During this time I’m in between shows. So I’m producing sketches to direct my visual thoughts on paper to take form.
What are your ambitions?
My ambitions are to explore my avenues abroad as artist whether this is through education with the exploration and study of various materials and techniques applicable to my style of drawing or various exhibitions so to expand my horizons.
Shalini is a featured artist in the Trinidad House of Angostura Gallery Book 2014 entitled ‘A Work of Art’. She is also featured in the Trinidad and Tobago National Museum and Art Gallery Book 2011 entitled ‘Women and Art: A Journey to the Past…Perspectives on the Future’. Her paintings have been exhibited throughout galleries in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean region and in the United States of America at the Organization of American States (OAS) Headquarters in Washington DC. Most recently, she held a solo show in the United Kingdom at Campbells' of London.
Her work can also be found online at Go Global Art - www.goglobalart.com.
