Nadia Djavanshir

An ode to the majestic monuments that stand witness to a colourful, sometimes turbulent history. Reminiscence is a series celebrating the noble Mughal buildings that stand proud amongst the chaos of modern life and span the once united country of India. The beauty and splendour of these structures invites me to delve into the mysteries of a golden era of Islamic art and architecture. I'm reminded that nothing lasts forever, only beauty and the memories that are created traverse borders and are transmitted through generations.

Taking this landscape as a starting point I use the stone, marble and plaster materials as inspiration to create my abstractions. Filtered through a veil of memory and imagination, I add details of architecture, weaving in and out of the background. The images are meant to be mysterious like the fables and stories that surround the buildings my work springs from.

The series is painted using natural pigments,found in the earth's ochres, plants and minerals, on a kaolin claysurface. The palette is earthy andreflects the colour of red stone and marble of the Mughal buildings I aminspired by. My style is generally very fluid and free for the most part andrevels in the unknown. Building up layers and playing with the texture of the painthelps me render the abstract compositions which serve as a base. Translucentlayers draw in the light and reflect the inner luminosity. Finally a slow andmeditative process completes the work with fine details hinting at thearchitectural subject.