Jemisha Maadhavji is a figurative painter who explores individuals from different cultural backgrounds, personalities and gender, through symbolism and narrative. Her work follows a poetic journey where she is in search for beauty. Maadhavji's subject matters are a result of a huge influence in bold colours and patterned fabric. The subjects often have a personal connection with the clothing due to their culture, profession or solely because of their personality.
Maadhavji quotes :"We all think of ourselves as icons in some shape or form, especially in the time of smart phones, social media like Instagram and Facebook Its become very easy and instant to do so. We always feel like we want to look like a certain celebrity, by taking selfies and constantly posting on social media. But when do we appreciate our own selves, who we are as individuals? .
I am not interested in painting people that everybody knows i.e people that are famous :''I am interested in people that are unknown to me, to the world."
"I don't really think about the likeness when I’m painting them, its just a process of discovering who they are and how I see them, what they mean to me. This is what painting does discovering the subject through paint and that’s what I feel I’m doing when I am painting my subjects."
Maadhavji's paintings are initially based on photographs of young men and women . She is interested in capturing the character and emotion.
The work is created with oil paints on a range of surfaces, ranging from wood, canvas, paper and metal. The paintings are created in thin delicate layers of oil paint. Recent discoveries which the artist shows is her latest Painting on metal; it allows her to create the smallest detail with precision due to its smooth and shiny surface. Most interestingly the colours are a lot more luminous especially when natural light shines on the painting.
Maadhavji's interests with natural objects such as the Rose and Peacock feathers are influenced by her research into: "what beauty means now?" Is it make up, artificiality or natural?
The Rose represents beauty, cycle of life and death and cycle of time. The Peacock feather represents immortality.