KOCHI: Friendship is that magical ingredient often celebrated in sappy quotes, catchy songs and epic stories. It is something even the most solitary among us cannot escape — like a secret superpower that gets us through the rough patches and helps us level up together. Since Friendship Day just came and went, there is no better time to talk about two best friends who not only stick together but also make good art.
Aswathy Aravindakshan, an assistant professor of English, and Shaheen Nadeem, an English language trainer, have been exploring their creative skills and love for colours ever since the Covid times. Friends for over 20 years, they have spent countless hours chatting about everything from art, colours, and poetry to the quirks of language. Now, standing in their very own art exhibition, ‘Intuitive Impressions,’ at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan Art Gallery, it feels like they have finally curated the masterpiece of their creative dreams.
Aswathy Aravindakshan brings her 40 abstract paintings to life under the title ‘Alchemy,’ symbolising the magical process of transformation, creation, and combination. On the flip side, Shaheen Nadeem showcases her handmade earthen curios, aptly named ‘Miorah,’ meaning a reflection of beauty. Together, these two artists created a dynamic and empowering exploration of what it means to be a woman.
“We both have loved art since childhood,” Shaheen says. “But we never had much time to delve into it because of our work. During Covid, with the extra time on our hands, we started to dive into art, learn much more, and experiment.
It became a serious thing, and we have continued with it ever since.” Shaheen, who has been running an English lab in her hometown of Varkala for the past ten years, also writes poetry occasionally. ‘Miorah’ is a journey of self-expression, where the terracotta and bright hues, along with shards of mirror, become her tools.
Shaheen Nadeem has always loved Mother Nature, and her work with terracotta reflects this deep connection. “The earthy warmth and organic texture of terracotta are perfect for creating a strong bond with nature. Its rustic, wholesome charm draws me into the art form.
I focus on how to reuse what we already have, which is why I work with broken pottery pieces collected from households. In this way, I feel like I’m giving new life to something beautiful,” she explains. Her artworks are pieces of reclaimed beauty, where she envisions how to embellish and infuse femininity into the underlying layers of coloured clay, which she believes represents mother nature.
On the other side, Dr Aswathy displays her abstract paintings to share her journey of self-discovery. Her work reflects the complex and beautiful aspects of femininity and abstraction, showing her personal discoveries and experiences. She describes her work as a reflection of her intuitive, lively nature — an untrained artist with a deep passion for colours and their subtle shades.
She says, “Each canvas is a journey where love, sorrow, and desire blend together, celebrating life’s imperfections. ‘Reverse Ekphrasis’, which means the practice of creating visual representations in response to the written word, is my experimental bridge between the tangible and the intangible, where many of my paintings are created not with brushes but with the delicate touch of my fingers and nails. I was not trained to use the brushes.
When I tried to use a brush, I could not achieve what I imagined. So, I started using my fingers instead. At first, I was hesitant to share this method, but now I embrace it as my own unique way of creating art.
” She has written a collection of poems titled Absences: Of Intimacy and Solitude (2021) and co-edited anthologies like Meraki (2021) and Glass Bangles (2022), highlighting her contributions to literature. In 2023, she made her Malayalam debut with Panjimittayi, a collection of 106 short love poems featuring her own illustrations. All the pictures showcased in the exhibition feature unique captions from her poetry collection.
“The love for colours is something we constantly share with each other. We always encourage each other to create more meaningful art. That’s the core of our friendship and what drives this exhibition.
It’s the motivation and foundation of our creative journey together,” they both adds. Even as Aswathy and Shaheen have established their successful careers in both art and personal fields, their collaboration proves the incredible impact of women supporting one another to grow together..
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