[Framing the Artist] On The Road To Rediscovering India with Vinati Bhatt

Vinati Bhatt’s artworks are a captivating testament to everything that inspires her. From the culture of Rajasthan and unforgettable memories to the magic of everyday moments.

The founder of the design company Discovery of India, Vinati graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and worked in the field of textiles and fashion. Her extensive travels across India inspired her to create mixed media artworks that tell captivating stories of its people and places, bringing India alive in a truly unique manner. Artflute caught up with the artist to speak about her artistic journey.

I was always artistic

I was always artistic and even as a kid, I enjoyed dance and music. Sketching and colouring were my childhood friends. My very creative mom and I spent many sleepless nights, converting her sarees into beautiful dresses for me. A night before the exams during my graduation days, when everybody else was busy practicing the theorems and equations, both of us were busy stitching through the night, as I wanted a new dress for every exam.

Looking back, being born and brought up in Jaipur seems to have an influence on the way I perceive colours. I juxtapose bright colours and work with them easily because they are a way of life where I grew up.

I prefer calling myself an ‘art designer’ rather than an artist

I studied Fashion Design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology. It is where I imbibed the idea of balancing aesthetics with purpose and being creative while serving a specific audience.

My approach to art is a reflection of my design background so much so that, I prefer calling myself an ‘art designer’ rather than an artist.

Everything inspires me

Everything that I see and have seen, the random thoughts and ideas that float around in my mind- everything inspires me. From the experiences of travellers, and their blogs on how they perceive India to my interactions with expats and their stories- it all feeds my creativity. When it comes to working on my art, my daughter’s school timings determine my working hours. It is when she is away that I work on my art.

If I ever go through a creative slump, I just sleep on it. Or keep working at my art and rejecting ideas, until the muse takes pity and me and appears.

My Creative Process

I began the series by working with the things that I already had— photographs from my travels, my creativity, my laptop, and the finest screen printer. All of it came together to create this work; it is a combination of photography, digital art and serigraphy.

The First Artwork I Sold

I still remember the first artwork that I sold titled Fakiri. It was sold online to an Australian designer settled in India. Filled with doubt, I had priced the work very low and even the buyer told me that he was surprised to see the price. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. It gave me the feeling that I was selling my vision and my imagination and not just some ink on paper.

My Series ‘Discovery of India’

The idea for my series ‘Discovery of India’ was inspired by a traveller’s memoirs of his visit to India. It is important for me to understand an outsider’s perspective on things that we often consider to be everyday. Also, since I am from Rajasthan— the state with a glorious history, my cultural roots are very strong. This influenced me to start the series as an effort to appreciate, recognise and present to the world, the glorious past of this magnificent country, in a manner that is uniquely my own.

I believe our expression is an extension of our persona.

I believe our expression is an extension of our persona. Consciously or subconsciously, the indelible moments, the beauty of the things around us, whether natural or man-made, the culture, the sounds, and the experiences that each one of us has gone through leaves behind a memory or the wisp of one in our minds. What we do with this is unique to each one of us.