Swiss artist Nina Weber

Swiss artist Nina Weber, currently on a residency shares work that she has done at Vyom Centre in Jaipur. [dated April 2009]

Pro Helvetia and Vyom Arts Centre cordially invite you to an exhibition of work by Nina Weber, artist-in-residence from Switzerland

Smt. Kiran Soni Gupta (IAS) Divisional Commissioner, Jaipur will inaugurate the exhibition at 6:30 pm on Wednesday 29 April 2009 at Sudarshan Art Gallery, Jawahar Kala Kendra, J.L.N. Marg, Jaipur

The exhibition will remain open to the public till 5 May 2009 between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm daily.

Nina Weber, the young artist from Zurich has a degree in Arts from the ZHdK (Zurich University of Arts). She is known for her ink drawings, installations, sculptures and paintings. Her multifaceted talent is infused with sensitivity that merges the man-made world and the world of nature. Her imagery is taken from both these worlds and as she merges the two worlds, she evokes a symbolic world that is real as well has a dreamlike quality. Nevertheless it is a commentary on the state of things.

As an artist-in-residence since December 2008 at the Vyom Arts Centre, Jaipur, she has been painting images that have a different cultural context. These images have been taken from life in the Pink City as seen through her eyes. She is fascinated by the temples at crossroads, the images of Shiva and Kali, the easy pace of life with monkeys, dogs, cows, camels and elephants interwoven into daily life. The simplistic images of Hanuman or Balaji look like an abstract sculpture to her. She is fascinated by the spontaneous nature of the city where the world of animals coexists peacefully with humans. Religion is still another aspect of life that surprises Nina with its animated presence in the life of the people here. God is not a distant entity for an Indian. He is now and here, as a part of life, invoked easily like an approachable friend.

These observations have inspired her vibrant paintings and black ink drawings. The homogeneous nature of Indian life is expressed in her drawings that are populated with people, plants, flowers, animals and gods. Back at home, her vocabulary symbolised a world, where perfection had taken over beauty of nature. Here in India, and in Jaipur, the living and inclusive nature of life expresses itself as a positive comment.

Mridul Bhasin Jaipur, April 09