- Venue
- The Muse Gallery
- Starts
- Tuesday, February 6, 2024
- Ends
- Sunday, February 18, 2024
- Address
- 269 Portobello Road, W11 1LR
- Location
- London
- Organiser
- The Muse Gallery
Krushnapriya Smart, an artist and educator well-versed in Art History and Aesthetics, stands out through captivating exhibitions and engaging workshops. Her passion encompasses teaching and curating, blending various art forms and cultural stories together.
Her “Woven Odyssey” is an immersive exhibition that delves deep into the profound and intimate journey of motherhood. Through evocative and heartfelt artistic expressions, she navigates the multifaceted experiences, emotions, and transformations that encapsulate the miraculous journey of bringing new life into the world.
Her artworks intricately weave together raw and personal moments encountered during the pivotal nine-month odyssey of pregnancy and beyond. Each piece serves as a window into the artist’s soul, capturing the intricate tapestry of emotions, physical changes, and the spiritual connection that defines the essence of motherhood.
The exhibition unveils a series of captivating artworks that portray Krushnapriya’s first-hand experiences during pregnancy. Vividly depicted are the warming moments of discovering the heartbeat, feeling the initial movements, and the overwhelming rush of emotions accompanying this miraculous period. These artworks serve as a testament to the unique and incomparable bond between a mother and her child.
One of the exhibition’s highlights is the “Journey from Dot to Marks,” a striking portrayal that illustrates the physical and emotional metamorphosis undergone during and after childbirth. This series beautifully contains the nuances of joy and pain conveyed through symbolic representation in the artworks—each telling a profound story of maternal love.
The exhibition also delves into the uncharted territory of the postpartum period, shedding light on the rollercoaster of emotions, the delicate balance between self-care and nurturing a new-born, and the beautifully chaotic journey that defines early motherhood. The artworks here mirror her personal journey of adapting to a new routine while navigating through a whirlwind of emotions.
Moreover, she ingeniously explores the universal emotions experienced by everyone through a series of alluring cloud formations that embody love, anger, neutrality, worry, and joy—a testament to the shared emotional spectrum that unites us all.
She also portrays a touching depiction of her daughter, Kairavini, capturing the tender moments of her first attempts at communication. Those undiscovered words and letters are represented through vibrant and organic shapes. In a continuation of that artwork lies the beauty of the evolving mother-child relationship, especially in the gradual discovery of language and the heartfelt joy of being called ‘Ma,’ ‘Mumma,’ or ‘Mummy,’ presented through mesmerizing sound waves.
“Woven Odyssey” is not just an exhibition but a profound and evocative narrative that invites visitors to dive into a deeply personal and emotional voyage—a celebration of the sacred and extraordinary bond between a mother and her child, immortalized through the artist’s unparalleled creative expression using lines, dots, abstract shapes, and a variety of thread colours.
– Mudita Choudhary
‘I was honoured to work with these artists in India, a meeting of minds to collaborate on a cross cultural programme. A project amalgam of academia and vocational arts almost a decade ago; in the Gujarati states of India amidst the echelons of academia and cross cultural exchange. Our like minds gravitated, as a small team of professional artists working in practice and promotion, education and outreach.
We found mutual interests in celebrating the power of visual language and the ubiquity of arts as means to connect and galvanise local and international communities. We became a transient, albeit project based, community bridging the cultural, sociopolitical and geographical divides. A living testament to the commissioning brief of the programme we ran and philosophy that supported. These artists and teachers operated on a frequency that was familiar to me and my team. Their ideas and sensibilities were accessible and resonant of our work in the U.K., even though we had never met, even though they came from thousands of miles away. — ubiquity was evident.
With whiffs of a collective consciousness hanging in the air, we delivered several programmes and began a relationship that led us here. Back home to the UK, to where it all began, deep in the market streets of West London, Portobello and Colville. These shows are the product of almost a decade of inspiration, faith, trust and respect. It is a refreshing reminder of connectivity through the arts and the power of visual language that brought us together.
With thanks to Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in 2016 – 2019. Krushnapriya, Naishadh, Rajarshi, Bhrigu and Preksha and the rest of their team. It is a great pleasure to be able to support these international artists in the UK.’
Damian Rayne
Director The Muse Gallery
