“True art is always the reflection of the artist. Whatever I make, comes out of my experiences and beliefs.”
-Bandana Jain, Artist & Designer
Bandana Jain is a contemporary artist, design expert, and an award-winning personality, who strongly connects with the idea of sustainability. For Bandana, the idea of being ethical is a way of thinking and a lifestyle which is a fair trade with nature. Her love for the environment is vividly visible from the kind of work she does. She unconventionally creates art pieces.
Bandana’s artwork has been highly recognized by some of the well-known personalities and art connoisseurs in the industry. Through her art, Bandana wants to create a strong social impact and
she embraces sustainable living in her day to day living as well.
1. PERFECTLY IMPERFECT
Bandana Jain being an environment-loving artist is inspired by nature and likes to do something which erupts organically. According to her, there can be varied interpretations for this piece of art- made using corrugated cardboard, where one can see the contour which is flowing, randomly with its imperfections. On the other hand, you can see the folds which give softness to the hard surface. A surprising element, which has its charm. The size of this installation is 55” x 57”, designed for RPG Enterprises in the year 2018.
2. SHRIPADA
Goddess Lakshmi is regarded as the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Through this creation, she wanted to promote the belief of hav8ing an auspicious place with good vibes. This artwork is created with unconventional paper tubes depicting the feet of Goddess Laxmi depicting a sustainable approach. The length of each foot of Shripada is 8’and was made in 2016.
3. Gajodhar: On a Splendid Walk
“An ordinary man, coming from nowhere, follows his passion, rising high, touching the sky.” Gajodhar, who is progressive on a splendid walk of success, bejeweled with extraordinary attire made out of corrugated cardboard sheet, the sculpture looks splendid when adorned with such an unconventional medium. This piece of art is 4’9” x 5′ 8” in size and was made for Wildlife Trust of India in the year 2017.
4. Gandhi
Ms. Bandana says, “Corrugation is deceiving! Work in multiple layers, still the difference of millimeter counts.” The sculpture is made of 152 layers where the thickness of the sheet varies. It took her 5 attempts to get the desired result. It was her first artwork where she achieved the character of India’s most prominent figure in corrugated cardboard. So far, the most talked-about piece of art. The height of the art is 18” and was designed for Raymond in the year 2017.
5. The Tale of Trash
Bandana once read a quote by Annie Leonard “There is no such thing as ‘AWAY’. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.” and these words perfectly struck a chord with her thoughts. She believes trash segregation is one of the biggest problems we face in our everyday lives. Bandana being an environment-conscious artist tries and sees creativity in things that are usually trash for others. And she believes that as individuals we all should think about how beautiful our world could be if everyone changed their mindset and took responsibility for their immediate surroundings. Being an artist, she aims to make people around her aware of the source of materials they use to create art, that gives another definition of beauty to this world with these refused materials.
“The tale of the trash” or the tale of the junkyard is based on the expression of the artist within her. Through this artwork, made of recycled corrugated cardboard, she wants to reiterate, “Trash can be beautiful” if it gets the right platform to be reworked on. These sets of installations were presented at The India Story, Kolkata in the year 2017.
6. #metoo
When the world started paying heed to #metoo, it was realized that sexual repression was not just limited to few souls; it was an exploitation of vulnerabilities in the backdrop of the fault lines designed in the human psyche. The fault lines could be an opinion or ignorance which made every attempt to denigrate the gracious individuality with sexual harassment.
The sculpture depicts the collective consciousness of the entire fraternity which has been subjugated, violated, and preyed upon. From mockery of our efforts to sleazy expectations, the pretext could be many but the scars are consistent.
The artwork with a theme of “moss of misogyny” reflects how badly the females are affected by sexist prejudice and ideology. How they get oppressed in male-dominated societies, which grow like a filament of moss, decaying them from within. The artwork thus seeks to represent the sacred feminine and the pain inherited from such experiences. This installation was presented at Jehangir Art Gallery in the year 2016.
7. The Fluid Bench
A functional piece of art, which represents energy akin to the wave of adolescence. A wave that rises high and finds peace as it simmers down. Along the way, it portrays the beauty at the center of it all, a mermaid who allures, entices, and stays away from the glare of existence. A mermaid submerged in the deep.
8. Gunny Bags
It’s not outside appearance that defines who you are, what is inside you is what counts.
Thus, representing “The Expressive Gunny Bags” that carry their unique character in their crumpled look. However, their worth is simply proportional to what they are holding inside.
9. Ajanta Cave
The unique installation derives inspiration from the doorway of a Buddhist shrine at Ajanta Cave. Made of 10,000 cut-outs of recycled corrugated fibreboard, it speaks about Indian culture and the legacy we carry with all the beautiful monuments built in ancient times and are still standing tall even after facing all sorts of challenges. These remnants are witnesses that give us a sense of continuity over time. With a resounding message of conservation of our cultural and natural heritage, Bandana quotes, “I don’t want to protect the environment, I want to create a world where the environment doesn’t need protection.”
10. A Pocket Full of Memories
Bandana quotes, “Pockets mean Equality.”
In earlier times women’s clothing did not have pockets, they would be relying on bags. This is sustaining a whole industry (bags) by excluding pockets from women’s clothing. At the peak of the 20th Century, pockets in women’s dresses experienced a major revolution. It was during this time that pockets were finally included in women’s clothing.
‘A Pocket Full of Memories’, the artwork showcases a pocket which was included in skirts, which was a novelty back then.