走進印度石窟與神祕元素─Vandana Mengane個展
在世界歷史上，各個民族因求生存，對大自然充滿敬畏，也衍生不同的信仰與故事，而東方的古印度文明，是人類最古老的文明之一，在文學、哲學和科學等方面皆有極大的獨創性及貢獻，至今仍深深吸引著世人前往探索。
來自印度的藝術家Vandana Mengane從小喜愛繪畫及手做藝術，2017年來台，五年期間感受到與台灣的文化背景相當貼近，在台生活期間，她從環境中汲取許多素材，獲得許多啟發，推動她源源不絕的創作靈感。
Vandana在印度成長，因此養成她對各種事物保持開放的態度，她喜歡爬山、健行，並相信宇宙及自然萬物皆有不同的能量，她藉由色彩、造型、符號，表達對神秘宇宙的詮釋與看法。《走進印度石窟》系列作品欲表達：在印度，有著歷史悠久的岩石洞穴，還擁有非凡的建築和藝術品質，讓人們都想去探尋印度的古文明，在此系列作品中，Vandana表現印度神話的三位人物，以毗濕奴為主要對象，她結合自身參觀諸多印度石窟的印象，使用複合媒材再現石窟中毗濕奴故事的十個化身，這十個化身與現代科學中人類的發展進程相似。《神秘元素》以印度的重要經典為參考，作品以壓克力顏料加上複合媒材在畫布上呈現吉祥符號及色彩，不同的色彩對應人體的七個脈輪，根據吠陀科學，這些符號被認為會給人們產生不同的能量，關注這些顏色和符號有助於改善人們的健康、增進幸福感。
Into the Caves of India and Mystical Elements – Solo Exhibition by Vandana Mengane
It is believed that being in awe of nature has helped our ancestors survive, and this has resulted in the rise of various beliefs and stories. The ancient Indian civilization, one of the most ancient civilizations in the world, is known to have made significant contributions to the fields of literature, philosophy, science and technology. To this day, India still attracts countless individuals in awe of its ancient culture.
Taiwan-based Indian artist Vandana Mengane’ s passion for art and painting began at a young age. Vandana moved to Taiwan in 2017. During the 5 years she spent living in Taiwan, she has felt a connection to the Taiwanese culture, using the environment as her endless source of inspiration for her art. Having grown up in India, Vandana has learned to be open-minded when it comes to beliefs and objects. She loves climbing mountains and hiking and believes that the universe and all living creatures are powerful in one way or another, as presented in her works depicting the mysterious universe in the form of colors, styles, patterns and symbols. Into the Caves of India takes inspiration from the historic cave sculptures in India, featuring extraordinary architectural and artistic quality that makes people eager to discover the wonders of India’s rich ancient culture. In this series of artworks, Vandana presents Trinity, Buddha, Shiv Linga and one of the principal deities Vishnu, using mixed media and her impressions of Indian caves to depict the 10 incarnations of the deity that surprisingly matches the human evolution theory presented by modern science. Mystical Elements, which is influenced by the Vedas (a large body of texts originated in ancient India which contains hymns, philosophy, and guidance on ritual), incorporates acrylic painting into mixed media art to depict auspicious symbols and colors, using different colors to represent the 7 chakras (energy points) of the human body. According to the Vedas, the colors and symbols are imbued with different spiritual meanings and are believed to bring about health and happiness to people.
