Seema Mathew
Lives and works in Hong Kong
Artist statement
My artistic ideology is one of constant curiosity, making experimentation the cornerstone of my practice. I perceive art as a bridge between the scientific/rational left brain and the intuitive/emotional right brain, reflecting the internal struggle between control and chaos. As a self-taught artist, I continuously push myself to discover new ways of artistic expression. After recovering from cancer in 2014, I committed to painting full-time, using my practice as a means of introspection to better understand the emotional stresses and traumas associated with the disease. Being of Indian descent and having lived in Hong Kong for over two decades, my art is profoundly influenced by my personal experiences and environment. In my latest series, I explore the notions of identity, femininity, and my Indian heritage by layering ink, acrylic paint, oil pastel, embroidery, and embroidered fabric on canvas.
Artwork
- the memories of our ancestors flow through our veins, 2024. Acrylic ink / acrylic paint / brass beads / brass chains / canvas base
- Dimensions of Stillness, 2024. Acrylic ink / acrylic paint / glass beads / copper beads / canvas base
- Reaching Out, 2024. Acrylic ink / acrylic paint / oil pastel / embroidery thread / canvas base
- Love, Me, 2024. Acrylic ink / acrylic paint / oil pastel / embroidery thread / canvas base
- Bloom, 2023. Acrylic ink / acrylic paint / oil pastel / embroidered tulle / canvas base
- Dive Right In, 2023. Acrylic ink / acrylic paint / oil pastel / embroidered tulle / canvas base
- Shining Through, 2023. Acrylic ink / acrylic paint / oil pastel / embroidered tulle / canvas base
- Khajuraho Girl, 2023. Acrylic ink / acrylic paint / oil pastel / canvas base
- Celestial Dancer, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / acrylic paint / wood mount
- Vessel, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / acrylic paint / wood mount
- Spectral, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / acrylic paint / wood mount
- Falling Into You, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / acrylic paint / wood mount
- World Within, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / acrylic paint / wood mount
- dreams are messages from the deep, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / gold leaf / acrylic paint / wood mount
- bending the light connecting you to me, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / gold leaf / acrylic paint / wood mount
- by the morning light, we'll have grown back, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / acrylic paint / wood mount
- some rivers flow north, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / copper leaf / acrylic paint / wood mount
- where I end and you begin, 2023. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / acrylic paint / wood mount
- Calling Home, 2022. Vintage rotary phone / water soluble graphite on linen paper
- Dinner for One, 2022. Ceramic plate / Stainless steel cutlery / Water soluble graphite on linen paper
- Portal, 2022. Recycled styrofoam packaging / Water-soluble graphite on linen paper
- Origa-Me, 2021. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / archival mount board
- Letting Go, 2021. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / archival mount board
- Bull, 2020. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / archival mount board
- Humans First, 2022. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / archival mount board
- Night and Day, 2021. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / archival mount board
- Cleanse, 2021. Water soluble graphite on linen paper / archival mount board
- broken wings though have we, together, we learnt to fly, 2016. Chinese ink on canvas
- Words as Weapons, 2016. Chinese ink on canvas
- Journey from Thought to Emotion: Birth, 2018. Chinese ink on canvas
- Waiting, 2020. Black gesso and poster paint on canvas
- Surrender, 2020. Black gesso and poster paint on canvas
- Echoes of Forgotten Places, 2018. Chinese ink, raw pigment and acrylic paint on canvas
- Under Over, 2018. Chinese ink on canvas