Printmaker Anita Mudaliar creates multi-layered images, rich in mark-making that reveal an obsession with texture, surface, and layering. There is a tactile dimension to the work which stems from her background in textiles yet is achieved through the print processes of drypoint, collagraph and linocut. A playful experimentation is noted in her use of these techniques which includes the medium of tetra pak packaging material which often features as a matrix. Stitch and reference to cloth has more recently become a component of the work, bringing together her two areas of interest.
In Proliferation, the forms and structures of rapidly growing cells are examined and deconstructed; the palette only hinting at the colours of histopathology staining. Xanthoria is a celebration of the textures, patterns and colours found in the genus of lichenised fungi of the same name, and gives rise to mandala-esque botanical forms. Sacred Ground weaves delicate topographic markings into the architectural footprints of South Indian temples creating a hybrid form of map. Red Cloth explores traditional motifs that adorn textiles, in particular silk saree cloth, which are themselves based on temple iconography.
‘Intersect’ draws on work from the last three years and uncovers the process of making and development of ideas over time. Arrangements of matrix plates are constructed in several layers – the foundation plate, multiple surface plates (often disrupting each other) and typically a final structured or linear composition that refines these. The repurposing of old and new matrix plates allows for different interpretations, creating new narratives and readings.
Anita Mudaliar has a MA in Textiles from Goldsmiths, University of London and has been studying printmaking for the last 4 years at Browne School of Art. She lives and works in Auckland.
3 – 22 November 2022