Seema Kohli (B. 1960)

Born: 1960, New Delhi .Seema Kholi's vibrant use of colour draw the viewer into a world rich in spiritual dialogue, both explicit and implicit.Her central theme of the "Golden Womb" is not only symbolic of procureation and the journey of life but also a mediation on the eternal self.Seema Kohli's works reveal a claiming of feminine subjectivities, an altered concept of feminine sexuality. Her works bring into focus a woman's physical attributes, her intellect, thought, dreams and realities. The domain of sacred feminine geography with an effulgence of energy emanates from the paintings, where myth, memory and imagination have become the handmaiden of her own artistic oeuvre. ?Within the genres of sexuality and desire, one can't ignore the parallel journeys of discovery that she has made. Being a student of philosophy, she has inhaled and experienced myriad notions of existence, and has lived emotional and psychological reality. ?She has been working on the theme?The GoldenWomb' since last twenty years. Her work is symbolic of the progress and recycling of thought processes in the human mind, which is portrayed as calmer, more mature and serene both in terms of the palette and the form. She has worked in different mediums in the past twenty-eight years. Seema works in both small and large formats with layers of drawings and colors and various other mediums including silver and gold leaf and dust.She has had 20 solo shows and has been a part of numerous national and international shows. She has participated in prestigious art fairs like Art Basel2009, ARCO Spain 2010,Shanghai Art Fair2011, ArtStage Singapore 2012.She received further acclaim for her creativity at the Florence Biennale, 2009 where she received a Gold Award for her video Swayamsiddha-Myth, Mind and Movement ("Biennale Internazionale Dell'Arte Contemporanea, Ciia di Firenze, 7th Edizione 2009, 1 Premio "Video", Firenze in Florence, Italy).She has received the Young FICCI Ladies Organisation Women Achiever?s Award and the Lalit Kala National Award for Women in 2008. Her works can be seen as public art as murals of 10? x 100? at the Delhi International Airport, Mumbai International/Domestic Airport, the Defense Ministry,Tata Residency, Tata Steel,Jindal Steel,VLCC,Manipal University, Hotel Leela Palace, New Delhi. Seema was also a part of the Art for Freedom at Bonhams Auction, Christies and Sothby?s,Khushii Auction 2007, Florence Biennial 2008.Her paintings are in collections with H.E. The President of Singapore Mr. S.R. Nathan; Chairman of the Arts Council of Singapore Mr. Liu Thai Ker; ?Norway High Commissioner Mr. Arney Walther; ?Camlin, UNDCP, Raj Niwas, Pondicherry: Northern Railways, Indian Railways, CCS India, Bharat Bhawan Bhopal, Lalit Kala and Sahitya Kala Akademi, Goa museum Of Art and more rescently Rubin Museum, Private Collections,NY,USA and many more collectors in in India and abroad.Seema has held interactive sessions /lectures about her works along with a question hour at NGMA,Bangalore, Modula Conceptions, Dubai,TIFR Mumbai,IndoBangladesh CrossOver, The International Women Forum and also scheduled to speak at WIN Conference Rome 2012.She lives with her two children and works from her home studio in New Delhi India.?Seema Kohli's works reveal a claiming of feminine subjectivities, an altered concept of feminine sexuality. Her art practice involves various disciplines from drawing, painting, sculptures, installations and performance.?The most significant one to emerge out of liner forms and paintings is ?Performance Art?. Decay, hybridization & transformation: Creating new identity; reshaping belongings; intimacy; a dialogue of matter and memory ,myth all constituting a visual language of her work.??Time? as a factor, is central to her practice, whether it?s a wrapped object or a performance. She uses time as medium, which is extended, assembled and captured in all her media, be it painting, sculptures or installations. The aspects of continuity, repetition, vulnerability, duration, temporality, awareness, situation and public involvement are also inherent qualities that inform her art practice. The process before and after the performance is important and challenging.?Since last 30 years of practice Seema Kohli has had over 20 solo show in Venice, Brussels, NY, Dubai, Singapore Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore. Has participated in International Bienniale?s (Venice, Shanghai, India), Art fairs (Hong Kong, Basel, Beijing, Madrid, India) Her work can be seen as public art as murals of 10? x 100? at the Delhi International Airport, Mumbai International/Domestic Airport, the Defense Ministry, Tata Residency, Manipal University, ONGC, Tata Center of Excellence and many more.?She has had interactive session and experiential performances at Venice Biennale 2015, TedEx Chennai 2013, WIN Conference Rome 2012, Prague 2013; NGMA Bangalore 2010, 2012 etc. She has received the Gold at Florence Biennale 2009,1 Premio "Video, the YFLO Women Achiever?s Award, the LKA Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in 2008.Her works are a part of various private and public Museums including Rubin?s Museum and Museum of Sacred Arts, Kochi Museum of Arts.?