Siji Krishnan

Siji Krishnan is an Indian artist, who is known for his unique approach to traditional Indian art forms, such as mural painting and drawing, and for his use of vibrant colors and intricate patterns.

Biography of Siji Krishnan: Early Life and Artistic Roots

Siji Krishnan, born in 1983 in Kerala, India, has carved a niche for herself in the contemporary art scene with her deeply introspective works. Raised in the culturally rich landscape of Kerala, her early exposure to traditional arts significantly shaped her aesthetic sensibilities. Krishnan pursued her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts, Kerala, where she developed a basic understanding of form and color. She later completed her Master of Fine Arts at the Sarojini Naidu School of Fine Arts, Hyderabad, which further honed her technical skills and conceptual approaches.

A pivotal experience in her career was her artist residency at Koganecho Art Center in Yokohama, Japan in 2019, which expanded her exposure to international art practices and influenced her subsequent works.

Siji Krishnan's Art Style: The Unique Texture of Memory

Krishnan’s artistic style is marked by her innovative use of materials and techniques that evoke a sense of nostalgia and introspection. She meticulously prepares her canvases with layers of fine rice paper, creating a textured surface that resembles the fragility of dried leaves or the tautness of stretched drum skins. This surface becomes a living entity in her works, reverberating with the sensory qualities of sound and touch.

Her use of pale watercolors and the gradual intensification of darker tones imbue her paintings with a depth that mirrors the complexities of human memory and emotion. The resulting effect is akin to old, weathered photographs that evoke memories long forgotten but never entirely erased. Through her process, Krishnan captures the transient nature of memory, blending the past with the present, and allowing her viewers to engage in a silent dialogue with their own histories.

Her paintings often feature repetitive characters and scenes, each variation capturing a different nuance of emotion or memory. This repetition, much like stills from a film, creates a sense of continuity and change, drawing the viewer into a deeper contemplation of the themes of time and memory. Her figures are deliberately ambiguous, their identities not fixed but fluid, inviting the viewer to project their own interpretations onto the canvas.

Recognition and Global Reach

Siji Krishnan’s work has garnered significant international recognition, with her paintings being included in prestigious collections such as the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi. Her participation in major exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Victoria Triennial, and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, has solidified her reputation as a leading figure in contemporary Indian art.