Wake up, city

At a glance, Nayanaa Kanodia's work seems rather happy to be reminiscent of the 26/11 terror attacks. But a closer look shows you the various shades of Mumbai city its fast-paced everyday life and its callousness towards its monumental treasures. Her latest series titled A City Wakes Up Inside Me is on display at the Museum Gallery till January 24. CS gets the self-taught artist talking:

Paint my love
Even though I always enjoyed painting as a kid, I never formally learnt art. Getting an honours degree in Economics from Lady Sriram College in Delhi made it even tougher for me to take the arty route instead of the conventional academic one. But since I loved my brush so much, I worked harder to educate myself in art. I spent donkey's years studying the techniques of the masters and practising them on canvas. My first exhibition went on display in 1985 and since then I have never looked back.

What's so funny?
There is an underlying humour in all my paintings. My last exhibition was a spoof on other artists' work and it was much appreciated. I feel that it is much easier to express tragedy or holocaust than to depict mirth and satire. Similarly, using a limited colour palette is much simpler than working on a wider range of colours. That's why my paintings are reflective of vibrant satire.

People's painter
I try to connect with the common man through my work. Even though I use a lot of human imagery, the people in my paintings aren't individuals known to me. They could be the people on the street. My art showcases vignettes of life, something that most people are able to relate to and find interesting.

What an idea!
I draw inspiration from everyday life. The ideas just flow naturally and spontaneously. Whereas, if I think too hard to come up with a smart concept, my creativity just freezes. But I didn't need to think out-of-the-box for this series. The 26/11 memory was enough to get me started. It got me thinking about how our hectic lives have made us careless about the needs of our city. If we try, we can really make Mumbai worth living in.