My Balcony Garden

My balcony garden was born out of the desire to create my own space in an unfamiliar environment. I bought these plants on a whim, the day before the entire country went into lockdown. I made these curtains from my mother-in-law’s old saree.

Over time, as these plants began to flower and the warm sunlight filtered through the curtains, it imbued the space with different hues. As I listened to music and wrote poems on this balcony, this space came alive, became my balcony garden, and gave new life to me.

With this series of paintings, I intended to portray the dynamic life-like nature of the balcony garden through the ever-changing perceptions of light, shadows and colour, using geometrical shapes which are usually associated with being fixed or static. I wanted to convey that nothing is ever fixed, especially if it is alive.

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About the artist

Labdhi Shah began painting as an eight-year old, when she decided to paint the walls of her room, making it truly her own. While she has been trained as an economist, a clinical psychologist, and an art therapist, she is a self-taught artist. Her work is currently on view at the international virtual exhibition: Ikouii Open, Collective Impact in Atlanta, GA.

A recent participatory art installation by her, on the theme of love, titled ‘Rainbow of emotions’ — ‘લાગણીઓ નું મેઘધનુષ’, was featured at ‘Abhivyakti’ art festival, 2020. She loves travelling, and has been to over 20 countries.