Minal Damani

Born in 1979, Minal Damani received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in painting from the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Working in a wide range of media, from ink and watercolour to gouache and acrylic, Damani’s works are an exploration in colour and form.

Stemming from a deeply autobiographical narrative, her works are peppered with images of stars, flowers, flying birds and other objects that make personal references to her environment. Each painting has a new pattern for the story which reveals the inner life of the 'self' and the hopes, optimism, dreams, opportunities, fears, pulls and pressures it experiences. Gradually, the visuals in Damani’s work changed from fantasy-like narratives to highly patterned visuals, in which the arrangement of images is done in such a way that they form an 'even -pattern' and thus give an abstract feel to the painted surface.

Damani’s solo shows include 'Drawing Lines' at Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, in 2008; and ‘Refilled’ at Gallery Beyond, Mumbai, in 2006. Her work has been also a part of several group shows, including 'Size Matters or Does it?' at Latitude 28, New Delhi, in 2010; ‘Evidentia' at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, in 2009; and 'Vicissitudes of the Constructed Image' at Tangerine Art Space, Bangalore, in 2009.

Damani was honoured with the ‘J.J. Teachers Award', by her alma mater in 2002, and also received the Human Resource Department’s Young Artist Scholarship from the Government of India, New Delhi, for 2001-03.

(Profile by Saffronart)