SEPTEMBER

Megha Joshi.Amy Thomas.Oliver Irvine.Beata Veszely

Amy & Oliver working

Megha Joshi
Delhi, India

As I write this feedback report three days upon returning from the residency at Budapest, the significance of the experience reveals itself much better in hindsight. There are so many thoughts and experiences to share but to make it concise let me just give my primary thoughts on all the aspects....ON HMC: ...the HMC has done a remarkable job of facilitating these for the artists. Comfortable living space, creation of studio/working space, the choice of artists markedly different from one another in their artistic style and the accessibility, advice and support of the HMC representatives are its strengths. The fact that the people making this happen for you are hugely experienced and well-respected artists themselves, only makes it all the more humbling.
ON BUDAPEST: I found Budapest to be quite different from the other European cities I have visited. It has a remarkable history showing the resilience of its people, a unique culture, quaint customs, language and food yet it is embracing and cosmopolitan. The cafés, Turkish baths and market halls are as enriching and stimulating as the Museums, concerts and galleries.
ON THE RESIDENCY: Specific to this residency, I felt it supports and respects equally the person inside the artist - you are kept free from any pressure, expectation or judgement with regard to your creating. How one use this time-out is therefore a personal choice and that makes it a liberating experience.
ON MY EXPERIENCE: Being away from family and all things familiar in completely new surroundings can be challenging but the mind-space created when there are no tasks or chores ahead is what I needed and enjoyed. I felt I accomplished what I intended and more at the residency in terms of photography and other artworks but most importantly, I was able to think and plan my way ahead in my practice it gave me the much needed time and distance that an artist seeks when they want to bring about dramatic changes in their artistic language I am extremely excited about executing all the works I planned (while sitting over cappuccinos in beautiful cafés!!). My interaction with the co-artists at the residency was great and we did a lot of the sight-seeing and museum visits together (apart from all the Hungarian wine and food tasting). We parted as friends and hope to meet again soon. It has been a positive experience and I am grateful to the HMC for giving me this opportunity.

Megha Joshi

same-same but different, ink on paper

Means and ends, form and content, art and artist the lines that separate them, for me, do not exist. My work has always been a response to thoughts, events and people it is rarely pre-planned in terms of the imagery. While creating, I find my mind, my heart and my hands work as one to reveal something that surprises me even as it expresses who I am. I like to experiment and do not strive for a conscious homogeneity in my works. I am preoccupied by the human state at all levels individual, social, regional, global. My work is a response to issues - social, political, economic and personal; to an event, a scene or a thought. It is about the lines that separate death and memory; religion and spirituality; gender and genetics; global warming, urban angst and rural reality; skin, leather and plastics; ideologies, idols and ideals.

My constant endeavor is to make (by virtue of my location, gender, level of emancipation and education) a log of the times I live in. I am an observer - of the beautiful, the ugly, the odd, the familiar - constantly in awe of the beauty and resilience of the human spirit.

I am currently trying to embrace "new media" - without compromising on my 'old beliefs'. (Megha Joshi)

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