The vigorous delicacy of organic matter is the substance of Kaiya Khatri's works. The artist selects flowers as her subject following the Puja ('the flower act' in Sanskrit) prayers in Hinduism. Her artistic processes take on a ritual approximation of natural cycles; she incorporates organic materials such as salt, coffee and wine in making the prints. These works are elegiac and committed; the flowers are suspended against the textured void of the canvas, evoking the work of creation and preservation that goes into the flower entity.
My practice is rooted in exploring different methods of preservation in nature. I chose to look at flowers in particular because they are often used in prayers called Puja in Hinduism – the Sanskrit word translates to 'the flower act', where fresh flowers are offered to deities as symbols of devotion towards nature and Mother Earth. As a practising Hindu I was always taught that nature is sacred and revered. My work is underpinned by the desire not to replicate but to preserve and revere it.
Artist statement
My practice has been rooted in exploring different methods of preserving impressions of nature in print. The key themes of my practice are embedded in highlighting the delicacy, intricacy and detail of flowers. Through in-depth exploration of various print mediums, I aim to preserve and suspend in time the beauty of flowers. There has been an evolution in my practice that has come to focus on the beauty, form and sublimity in nature. In the beginning I wanted to continue pursuing the ways nature could be perfectly captured in print but as my work evolved, I began to explore the ambiguity within the work and the way it could be interpreted by a viewer.
