I Want To Fly Like A Bird

Bindhi Rajagopal

Bindhi Rajagopal is a born artist. From early childhood itself, she was an observer of all kinds of artistic forms and had a way to  express through arts. A Rangoli at the front of a house or a bunch of paper flowers were enough to fascinate her. Upon completion of secondary education, without any second thought, she decided to pursue arts seriously and enrolled for a 5-year course in one of the Fine Arts colleges. It was the molding she got in Fine Arts college that helped her realize the unlimited possibilities of art and she decided to choose it as her medium of expression.

She has always been a keen observer of the new methods and developments in the artistic world and is inspired and influenced by renowned artists world-wide, yet had her own style to depict her feelings, subject and vision. Her canvas is always subjective, but she never taints her ideas by the current state of mind rather focuses only on herself and her reflections on the canvas, once the creative spark is ignited. Like other contemporary artists, she also has not limited herself to a particular style of expression. Like a free bird, she finds freedom even in choosing the raw materials, like cotton, thread, coconut fiber or coir to bring the texture that her creative mind had perceived. The pristine and pure nature emerges in her canvas in various hues of blue, green, white and other earthly colors encapsulated with her expertise and as we gaze at this piece of marvel, it becomes a part of our experience and imagination more than hers! Her energetic and alive canvas or installation, tries to capture the mystery and the essence that begets from her constant communion with the nature. For her a leaf or a blade of grass is enough to convey her thoughts and emotions and perhaps that is why leaves have been the imagery that she has profusely used to symbolize her experience.   Apt to the current scenario, in one of her latest works she captured the grim situation that the pandemic has brought to the world into her canvas. In that we can see a nude couple with white masks on their face. They are placed amidst a luscious green flowery nature that is alive, energetic and ever fresh. The female form has a determined and confident visage, while the male emanates a feel of ‘secured in mother’s arms. The message is that we ourselves get limited and caged if we go on destroying the nature, whereas nature will remain intact. The nudity here symbolizes, we limiting our needs to a bare minimum in our struggle to cling on to our life and everything else has now become an extravaganza.

In 2013 that she was one of those eminent artists who had been selected for the New York Biennale. However, her parents did not allow her to travel this time and felt like a caged bird. She gave vent to her desperation by opening up her creative window and the result was a 3 dimensional visual art, ‘I want to fly like a bird’.

Yes, she soared high like a bird as she wished, she was the only one of the seven artists from India, and the only one from Kerala who had been selected for the Florence Biennale in Italy. 500 participants from 70 countries got together for the Florence Biennale. The theme of the Biennale was Leonardo da Vinci. Bindhi came up with the idea of Da Vinci’s vision – as a scientist his wide foresight and as an artist his deep insight has been sponged into a 10×9 feet canvas in shades of blue representing light, wisdom and deep insight. She had used threads to bring in the required texture and It took her 9 months to complete the 10×9 feet acrylic and thread on canvas.

Now this artist has something up on her sleeves. We will see her installation art coming up with the most relevant concept and theme which at the moment has made the world helpless and stand by. Hold on to your hat, as Bindhi’s art gallery, near the Fine Arts is getting ready! She is also busy with the International online art exhibition 2020 which includes artists, sculptors, architects, fashion designers around the world and will be onboarded by September. Bindhi who has got 16 years of experience as an art teacher at the Gregorian public school and currently working as a professor at Asian school of Architecture and Design Innovations for the last 7 years, likes to put discipline in all her works and believes that there is no need of running after success, once you are sincere, dedicated and disciplined success comes naturally.