Rudra Manani

Rudra Manani (she/her) is an artist of Indian heritage residing in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, AB). Working within abstraction, her current body of oil paintings are inspired by the sacred Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita, to explore themes of temporality and exchange using karma as a framework. Her practice is also informed by her studies in psychology and experience working in the social service sector. 

Rudra is an Honours BFA graduate in Visual Arts from the University of Victoria. She recently exhibited her second solo exhibition at the Little Fernwood Gallery (Victoria, B.C.) and was a featured artist in the Reclaiming Space, Reframing Truth series at Nova Arts Hub (Victoria, B.C.). Rudra has previously exhibited her work at The Vault Gallery (Victoria, B.C.), the Metchosin Arts and Cultural Centre (Metchosin, B.C.), and Gallery 1313 (Toronto, ON), among others.

Artist Statement

My work is informed by an ongoing study of the Bhagavad Gita and its teachings on karma. The Gita posits that karma encompasses all action, no matter how trivial, and that all actions have consequences that can transcend across lifetimes. I am interested in how karma functions as a form of individual and collective energy, tying us to each other with threads formed by our actions. My paintings try to answer the question: if karma is a force in constant motion, how does it impact our past, present, and future? Furthermore, how does it move not only on a broader sociogeographical scale, but also within immediate interpersonal relationships? 

This translates into my work as each painting acts as an energetic landscape depicting my understanding of these exchanges. My process is intuitive and oftentimes emotionally charged. Beginning with a feeling, question, or idea, I paint in thin washes and let the overlapping layers direct the composition. As organic forms naturally develop, I play with accentuation, erasure, and addition of colours. Yellow is an integral colour to my practice, as it symbolizes the celestial and functions as a foil to darkness, attachment, and pain - often represented by shades of purple, blue, and red. This push and pull of tonal contrasts helps to communicate the conceptual basis behind my work. I paint with a slow consideration, however there are bursts of quick decision-making involved - such as an addition of a new colour or heavier markmaking. My hope for each painting is that it evokes a sense of emotion in the viewer, allows for movement of the eye, and creates depth through thin washes - like layers of tissue paper stacked on top of one another. 

I have always been drawn to the Gita and continuously return to it. In engaging with the text, painting becomes a way to meditate on my spiritual beliefs and helps me understand even just a fragment of the Gita’s complexity.