“I in my work try to amalgamate poetry into visuals to define poetry to art. As being a visual artist, I deeply anticipate that it's all about knowing those aspects which are unidentified converted into Passion. I see painting as a vast land of nothingness, stretching to infinity, engulfed in silence where I can blend in and diffuse meaningful words to compose my thoughtful expression.

This particular series of artwork where I have played with different visual forms responding to the current situation. Emanated with the small series of paintings associated with my poetry.

I belong to-

My Soul Belongs to the scent of the past,

and not to the Future.

My Soul Belongs to the scent of the dark nights,

and not to the rising Sun.

My Soul Belongs to the scent of Unfinished drawings,

and not to the appropriate lines.

My Soul belongs to mat made of sack

And not to velvet carpet.

My Soul belongs to the essence of the flower

And not to the perfume on clothes.

My Soul Belongs to the symphony of childhood

And not to the cacophony of youth.

My Soul Belongs to the damp wall and wall flakes of my home,

And not to the painted Walls and furnished house.

My Soul belongs to the world of mesmerizing memories

And not to the fragmented present.

-Rutika

In this situation of being 1000 km away from our Homeland and from our loved ones alone in another City was challenging. The urge to come back home was fulfilled somehow and I was quarantined following the protocol of COVID 19. The space for 14 days was in my dad's godown where we used to live during my childhood. Staying there combined all those reminiscences of the fragmented memories in one piece, those muddy floors, the same unorganized kitchen, some old utensils which are still there, the cracked walls, playing games, and sleeping between the rows of sacks. I started recalling all images into my works, the uneven borders denote the unsteadiness and the forms relate to the belongings in my surroundings, the unforgettable experiences of childhood.

My work retells the fact of life that didn't change it remains the same as it used to be, only one's perspective changes. With a realization, that we may stay apart from our past but cannot be separated from it ever.”

RUTIKA DESHPANDE