For Kolkata-based artist and zine maker Eeshani Mitra, her latest collection, Synthetic Flower Dreams is all about blooms that speak of a “state of longing until the final moments before their eventual decay.”
“When I initially started shooting this series, I kept seeing how this mixture of various liquids and flowers would start morphing into completely different-looking mixes in a matter of a couple of hours. Add to that any changes caused by external sources of light, be it the sun or my flashlight — I ended up discovering compositions and focusing on elements that I had not noticed initially. So, I would often shoot in the same mixture for days, trying to record these amazing patterns and textures,” shares Eeshani.
The colours burst forth in light pinks, deepen into shades of orange, dipping into blues, but bringing in the fluidity of forms in the petals, whorls and swirls. In Pink Harvest, the fluid lines move up to form a heart. Brilliant, fresh, blushing and beautiful. “The heart only stayed that way in the mixture for a few moments, I was very happy to have been able to capture it well. I remember having vivid dreams where I was submerged in a pink-coloured sea filled with the last remaining bits of nature from this world. Yet, none of them were dead, but rather they kept growing and blooming. This vivid visual inspired me to start shooting the images that went on to become a part of the triptych series of images from Pink Harvest.”
Shilpi Madan for Sunday Herald