ASHTANAYIKA the messengers of love

OM BHUR BHUVA SVAHA
4ft * 4ft mixed media on stainless steel


VASAKA SAJIKA
4ft mixed media on stainless steel


THE LESBIAN
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel


THE PROSTITUTE
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel


TWIN 1
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel



TWIN 2
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel


SISTER 2
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel


ARIES
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel


RAZOR HEAD
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel


SISTER 1
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel


BLOCK HEAD
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel


HAIR RAISER
10" x 10" mixed media on stainless steel

WORKING WITH STAINLESS STEEL

My maiden journey with stainless steel has ended in Steel Wonderland. In the past months I have taken a path of discovery + experimentation that was born from my initial frustration with Stainless Steel – an industrial product.

To me, Stainless steel was an indestructible shiny material that – in my studio – could not be colored, cut, printed, glued, molded, sculpted or crafted without losing its form, function and beauty.

Outside, in the factories & workshops of India, creating art with Stainless Steel is still a very experimental, time consuming & an expensive affair.

I am a mixed media collage artist. I like to work with my hands and do mostly everything myself. I use projectors, video graphics, cameras, glass paints, holographic papers, X-acto knives and my Macbook Pro to fill and completely cover my canvas with color, images & all sorts of hidden messages.

My challenge - to work with what I knew and what is new - Stainless steel.

My discovery of traditional double-edged safety razor blade marked the beginning of my adventure with steel. Then, molecular structures, chemical compositions, perfect reflections, minor imperfections & visual distortions became my definition of stainless steel … and a bit like life.

Since, I have obsessed about creating collages of colorful worlds with a material that is essentially one color.

Reflections have been my 2nd obsession. Playing with diversity – steel, light, plastic, paint and paper – to mirror reality with reflections of you within my collage has been exciting. Instead of covering the canvas, I have had to uncover the steel and its mirror effect. I have had to work in reverse.

I hope you enjoy my work and have fun discovering the hidden messages.

S. Ayesha