Alyina Zaidi | Planisphere

23 September - 13 November 2021

indigo+madder is pleased to present Alyina Zaidi’s first solo exhibition, Planisphere. The exhibition brings together new paintings that explore ideas related to the enigma of magic, myth-making and the realm of dreams.

The notion of magic is fuelled by the belief that invisible forces can shape reality or change the visible world. These forces are commonly believed to act either as protective powers that are guarding and shielding, or malevolently. Zaidi is especially interested in the rituals that are often built to evoke protective energies, and the idea of magic as an essential part of life - especially in relation to the fraught times we are living through currently. These rituals, often inadvertently end up exposing the underlying anxiety and intensity inherent in such times of uncertainty. In her paintings, she constructs elaborate narratives, which feature magical scenarios and surreal, dreamlike landscapes, to dwell on both psychological states and our relationship with nature.

Zaidi is especially inspired by imagery from her dreams, symbolic motifs and memories of places such as the Kashmiri countryside and the winter flower gardens of Delhi. These multi-layered works are imagined as portals between the spiritual and material realms, which help explore desire, uncover mystery and investigate the visible world. In Moon baiting, an elaborate sequence unfurls, where the moon is used as a bait to lure a giant trout from the river. This otherworldly scenario is imagined as a way to deal with invasive species that threaten biodiversity and restore balance. The painting brings together childhood memories of trout fishing in Kashmir, and seems to uncover an anxiety about human intervention in the natural environment and the current ecological crisis. Sinuous forms divide the surface into various sections. A cluster of eggs lie amidst carefully rendered blades of grass in one section, while a river flows diagonally across the canvas. Imaginary creatures and objects are juxtaposed within landscapes filled with rocks, trees and streams; their colours and forms inspired by Indo-Persian miniature painting traditions.

In Zaidi’s work, reality is often presented through the realm of dreams, and magic is considered as a way of uncovering the hidden rules of nature. In Anar juice is a cure for all, a large wildfire ravages part of a landscape. To contain the blaze, a protective spirit, imagined as an angel, must shoot an arrow and crack open a pomegranate, a fruit with many symbolic meanings across the world. The exploration of such protective rituals and actions, that pacify or manipulate natural forces, is a common theme in many of the works. The painting also incorporates several playful details- in one corner, a snake-like form tussles with a radish spirit, in another one, a trout reaches for a fallen piece of pomegranate. This interest in building and observing rituals extends to Zaidi’s own practice. Thinking about her process, she realised she had already created her own rituals whilst painting. For instance, she describes one of these as having to ‘use one particular brush to render fleshy rocks’ otherwise she experiences ‘an inexplicable fear they might not come out right.’ Ultimately, through a wide array of rituals, narratives and symbols, Zaidi hopes that the images not only emanate a deep sense of mystery but also have a talismanic quality - imbued with spirit, healing energies, desire and hopefulness.

Alyina Zaidi (b. 1995) is a London-based artist from New Delhi and Srinagar. Her paintings reflect her cross-cultural background — she has lived in India, the USA, and is now based in the UK. Zaidi describes her works as expansive fictional landscapes and zoomed-in scenes of a world she has created. This world is partly drawn from memories of her homes in Kashmir and Delhi, from dreams, and from pure imagination. Zaidi received her BA from Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts in 2017 and MA Fine Art Painting from Royal College of Art, London in 2021. Her group exhibitions include an upcoming show at Newchild Gallery, April 2022; Tomorrow 2021, White Cube, London, 2021; Wet Paint, Bowes Parris Gallery, 2020 and When Snowdrops Rise, Mapa Fine Art Gallery, Netherlands, 2021 amongst others.

SELECTED WORKS