Have you heard of Kirigami?

Avishi Daftari, a class 10 student at Apeejay School, Noida has a penchant for Mandala Art. She finds it very helpful as a concentration and creativity exercise. The budding artist is also interested in Kirigami, a Japanese paper cutting and folding art, which is the next step of Origami.  

In this week’s Aspiring Artist of the Week series, Avishi enthusiastically shares her love for colours and also speaks of her hobbies beyond the canvas. Read edited excerpts: 

Since when did you start drawing?

I used to make greeting cards to begin with and loved gifting them to my family members and friends. Later, I came across Mandala Art and I was so enchanted by it that I have been doing Mandala since June 2021.

Is Mandala your favourite art form then?

The Mandala Art form was created in the service of one of the world’s great religions: Buddhism. This art was produced in Tibet, India, Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, and Indonesia from the 4th century and is so popular even to the present day. So, without doubt my favourite art is Mandala Art. I used to do other art forms, but I got stuck to Mandala Art as it helped me in improving my self-confidence, and concentration. Additionally, it also increased my creativity and self-awareness.

 What role does your school play in your artistic journey?

My school, and particularly my teachers, have always encouraged me to pursue art. Recently, when my Mandala artworks were published at the Apeejay Newsroom website, many teachers and seniors congratulated me. It felt very nice!

So how would you define art, Avishi?

Art for me is an expression of my ideas. It is expressing my imagination through a physical medium. It is a creative process and I feel it comes naturally to an individual.

How much time does it take you to complete an artwork? What are your treasured ideas and themes?

This really depends on the subject that I choose but typically, it takes two days to about a week to complete one artwork.

Any upcoming artwork?

I plan to start working on a healing Mandala Art. I wish to experiment more with colours as lots of colours are used in this. The healing Mandala can be used for focusing and concentrating. They are made particularly for the purpose of meditation.

Any new art form you wish to learn?

I wish to learn Kirigami. I have done some Origami in the past but Kirigami allows a little more creativity, as it is a three dimensional paper cutting and folding art form. Kirigami is widely used in handcrafted gifting through the creation of postcards, cards and envelopes.

Lastly, any other hobby apart from art?

I love to participate in inter-school debate competitions. Also, as a hobby I play football and  I am part of the school’s football team. I love Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portugal national team. Among clubs, I am a big fan of PSG!