BIO
Ujjayini is a painter and an aspiring filmmaker. After working for more than a decade in the tech industry Ujjayini switched careers towards art and attended the now closed San Francisco Art Institute for her MFA studies. Ujjayini is an Indian immigrant who now calls the Bay area home. Like the hyphenated existences she embodies, her art traverses geographies and cultures, that on the face of it may seem removed and divergent, but they all chart and interpret our shared human experience. Drawn to the feminine - form, existence and consciousness - untold stories of women are often a central theme in her works that show the strength in women along with their triumphs and tribulations.
STATEMENT
As an immigrant who was born and raised in India and who now lives in the US, as an engineer turned artist - and many other identities - I often find myself at the crossroads of these hyphenated existences that pull me constantly and ask the question - who am I, to what/whom do I owe allegiance? My art in some ways tries to answer these very questions.
I create art to share stories that are present but seldom talked about. Those stories are wherein lie the connections we discover with other fellow beings; and these connections provide the grounding on who we are, who came before us, where we came from, and what it means to be present in this moment now. I am particularly drawn to the feminine - form, existence and consciousness. Untold stories of women are often a central theme in my work; women, in most cases, do much more than what they are granted acceptance for; and I strive to show the strength they carry along with their triumphs and tribulations.
I draw influences from the culture of the land of my birth, upbringing, and lineage - India, and having lived in the western world for 17 years, I am influenced by the western art canon as well.The art of portraiture fascinates me and I am intrigued by the various forms portraiture has taken over the years till modern times. Who gets painted/sculpted and by whom, and how they are portrayed, is something I grapple with always.
Much of my work is seeped in my own personal experiences. My journey is unique, and so is that of each one of us, making us seem more different than we are alike; through my art, I seek to evoke emotions and honest experiences that transcend our differences and inspire us to discover the beauty in unusual places.