Heena Pari talks about her solo show ‘Cocooning’

Bengaluru-based artist Heena Pari’s solo show, ‘Cocooning’ comprises different segments, each revolving around the lockdown

“The urge to be outdoors, especially two months into the first lockdown, was overwhelming. Summers are when we would travel as a family and those memories worked their way into my sketches,” says Bengaluru-based artist Heena Pari, who did not realise then that the body of work she produced during the pandemic would result in her second solo show.

The artist who began practising about 10 years ago, says her work and imagery have largely been influenced by her household, nature, travel and major life situations — all of which were thrown into sharper contrast over the past two years.

Talking about ‘Cocooning’, Heena says the entire body of work was centred around how she retreated into her kitchen and garden during the pandemic and how those spaces nurtured and nourished her and her family at that time. “I realised I could not dismiss the predicament we were in and if I did not address the situation, I was not being relevant as an artist.”

Different segments of ‘Cocooning’ depict Heena’s fast-changing world. ‘Corona Series’ comprising 12 frames of acrylic on paper was her reaction to the lockdown. “Suddenly, our vocabulary included terms such as virus, sanitiser, spread, hand touch, while words such as ‘bubble’ were being used to represent something other than lightness, for perhaps the first time ever.”

Masks became an everyday accessory during this period. While house bound, Heena worked on canvas fabric and acrylic, originally purposed for another project. ‘Dark Cloud,’ is a huge installation of a mask suspended from the ceiling, complete with ear loops. “It looms large overhead and like the masks we use, though it offers protection and comfort, it is also stifling and suffocating.”

Using two panels of free-flowing fabric, Heena has portrayed the ‘Two Waves’. “lt is a representation of how we are together and in isolation. The panel of self-printed, free-flowing organza represents the lightness of being together as opposed to the panel of harsh black embroidery on linen. A needle piercing through fabric is a painful process, akin to what it felt like when we were isolated.”

Two video installations are a part of the series. While ‘On Autopilot’ shows how handwashing became the norm following any social exchange, ’The Great Escape’ presents the ever-changing skyscapes as viewed from Heena’s terrace — a welcome respite during the lockdown.