Mistress of Allegory

I have always been deeply enthused by writing, especially writing about art. Many artists carry extraordinary visual languages, but sometimes face linguistic limitations when they have to articulate their practice for a wider audience. Coming from North India, where many serious artists think and speak more comfortably in Hindi, I am especially interested in helping artists express the depth of their work in English for wider audience reach without losing its soul.

Mistress of Allegory, which took me more than two years to finish, is one of my most soul-fulfilling writing projects. — an art interpretation book where I wrote about nine handpicked artworks by Dr. Rita Sharma, a veteran artist from India.

Each artwork opened a different world of symbolism, surrealism, spirituality, politics, memory, illusion, longing, and the human psyche. Writing it allowed me to experience how deeply layered an artwork can be, and how interpretation can become a bridge between the artist’s vision and the viewer’s understanding.