In her first solo exhibition, Tarini Ahuja has earned a lot of appreciation from the public. She tells Arjita Mishra about her theme Wabi-Sabi as she follows Japanese aesthetic ideals 

To find the beauty and perfection in the nature is Wabi-Sabi. Wabi is actually the loneliness of living in the nature whereas Sabi is about the beauty that comes with the age.

Delhi-based artist Tarini Ahuja showcased her paintings in an exhibition titled Wabi-Sabi. Born and brought up in Delhi, Ahuja studied fine arts in Singapore.

She has had a few group shows in Delhi and has also showcased at the international level. This is her first solo exhibition at the IIC. According to Ahuja, “I’ve been working with the same theme since I had started painting and have developed my own vision language. I follow a lot of Japanese aesthetic ideals. Wabi-Sabi is the main ideal which I follow.”

“The Buddhist philosophies are not really aesthetic paintings . They are not abstract or modern art painitngs but more like a world view, it’s like a mind set. Wabi-Sabi is basically finding the beauty in the details, finding perfection and imperfection. It is all about understanding that beauty and harmony, everything which is simple and modest. Everything need not be perfect or symmetrical to be beautiful. There are many different ways to look beauty for which you need to open your mind. This is the base of the theme right now, I deal a lot with the idea of space and area,” explains Ahuja about her theme.

“In every painting, when I have to fight that whether a painting is complete or not, to define that moment is always a scary for me because I have to look at every fine line between. Working on a painting and to continue doing it with control, is the most difficult task to perform,” says Ahuja.

On asking about the public response, Ahuja tells us, “I’ve received a very overwhelming response. Half  of the paintings have been sold. People have appreciated it and everyone has been very supportive and kind.”

“I think just to be able to show my work and to be appreciated is pretty much the dream and to continue to paint is what I would love. I am living my dream right now,” says Ahuja when asked about her dream project. 

She says that she can’t compare herself with any other artist as many have helped and inspired her. She doesn’t want to follow in another artist’s footstep as she has created her own visual language and made it a little different and unique in aesthetic. Ahuja would like to be recognised for her own style.

What’s the best piece of advice she have been given and Ahuja is quick to respond, “I received great advices from my professor but the best piece of advice I got was to follow what you love and hopefully if you love it enough, the other people will love it too. That is basically what I am doing right now.”