/Anju Pillai
@artaesthetics_by_anju_pillai
Anju Pillai
Bowl Of Blues
watercolor on Arches 300gm cold press paper
8”x 10”
2021
With this painting I was fascinated with the way the blueberries arranged themselves on the bowl. I love the calming effect of the warm light bathing the ceramic provides and how the berries looked like they were merging together while also retaining their individuality, casting cool shadows on the bowl. I was intrigued at how I was seeing so many colors in this relatively restrained setup. I try to capture a sense of emotional harmony, peaceful happiness in the everyday when painting these still life’s that pop up suddenly in my life while setting a bowl of blueberries.
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Anju Pillai
Gasp!
Inspired by: Evelyn Rydz, Gulf Pile
acrylics and repurposed plastic waste on panel
17” x 21”
2023
In my artwork titled ‘Gasp!’ I have used acrylics and repurposed plastic waste to create a powerful visual representation of the overwhelming amount of plastic pollution in our oceans, much like the artwork titled ‘Gulf Pile’ that inspired me. In my mixed media piece ‘Gasp!’, I portray a woman drowning in an ocean surrounded by plastic waste and rotting fish. My intention is to evoke a strong emotional response in the viewer, encouraging them to reflect on their consumption and disposal habits and convincing them to contemplate and change. ‘Gasp!’ serves as a poignant reminder of the impact of our actions and a call to individuals and society to take responsibility for protecting our oceans and the life within them; otherwise all of us will be left to ‘Gasp’ for air!
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Anju Pillai
Solitude
Acrylics on panel
14”x 18”
2023
This video production is about immersing in the visual data of our forms of communication with digital media and mobile technology, and how this mediation can be impacting the way we are experiencing the world around us. It applied an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing the patterns of void and immersion in how we are using mobile cameras and social media nowadays. Exploring concepts around traditional intellectuals such as Zygmunt Bauman, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Roland Barthes, to contemporary media theorists, the goal is to encourage discourses around the subject contributing to the fields of digital humanities and media literacy.
@artaesthetics_by_anju_pillai
Anju Pillai
At Your Mercy
acrylics and collage on panel
26” x 20”
2022
At your mercy! When rulings let down women! Rape happens, protests follow , victim shaming comes as a package deal. Court hearings take place, and the judgements are passed making a mockery of the victims ordeal. If this is the thinking of custodians of justice, what future do our little girls have? In this artwork I condemn the totally unjust statements made by judges to rape survivors by painting a little girl standing with folded hands and pleading eyes asking for mercy, wearing a dress that has a collage of the unjust judgments passed at rape hearings across the globe.
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Anju Pillai
Hijab or No Hijab, We Will Shine!
acrylics on canvas
16”/16”
2022
This artwork is dedicated to the strength and determination of the women in Iran in their fight for freedom and a solemn tribute to those who died in this fight. To every woman across the globe fighting for the right to be allowed to make choices. To wear or not wear a hijab or any type of clothes should be the individual woman’s choice. No government or person has the right to dictate what a woman should be wearing, saying, behaving, or doing with her body. My Body, My Choice! To woman’s rights!
www.Instagram.com/artaesthetics_by_anju_pillai
Anju Pillai
Consumerists Bliss
Inspired by: Matt Siber, McDonalds
acrylics and collage on panel
18” x 22″
2024
In “Consumerist Bliss” I invite the audiences to a vibrant tableau brimming with brand logos. The central figure, captured mid-leap, in ecstatic celebration embodies the joy found in the choices afforded by consumer-driven society. The artwork is a critique of the advertising industry’s power over our culinary desires, calling to mind the same themes as Matt Siber’s “McDonald’s”. The blue web that cradles each logo represents the pervasive network of consumerism that traps as much as it supports, offering a nuanced commentary on the complexities of our relationship with corporate branding and the allure of endless choice.
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