Sweta Jha

Meet The Artist: Mrs. Sweta Jha

I love nature, its myriad colors, moods and diversity. Being born in a traditional Mithila family, I opened my eyes to see this abundance of nature all around that got further accentuated by Madhubani art that I inherited as a legacy. I naturally and unconsciously picked it up at a very early age. My fascination and avidity to learn more about this enigmatic art continued to grow by the time I reached college and university levels. But it was only after marriage and when I moved to Singapore in 2007, I began to seriously pursue my thought of taking my gift to the whole world in a more professional and structured way.

I draw my inspiration largely from the nature and sweet nothings of life that my fellow womenfolk who go through its everyday grind. I pay attention to simple everyday things, such as: kids playing or how they interact with the world, a gorgeous sunset, a falling leaf, serenity of Buddha etc. Any of these elements can trigger my mood to pick up my pen and inspire me to paint to draw.
My Unique Artistic Approach: The fine lines of my works have been pulled from the deep and long tradition of the Mithila / Madhubani art form and then married to modern metaphors under the delicate ministering. Mithila/Madhubani art was essentially a ritual ‘Community Art’ practiced by womenfolk of Mithila region from North-East India. Over the years, though, it has broken bounds, adopted new manifestations and expanded its constituency. My works mark a departure not merely of newly and widely imagined themes. I have also brought to this form an entirely new idiom of tone and tenor. Monotones and pastels, for instance, have rarely been infused into the Mithila/Madhubani art form before I began to experiment them. Neither have human figures which, in my eyes, become a fascinating fusion of race and geography. This is an entirely novel line of work from my varied portfolio.

It has always been a passion for me to work with fine lines that are very similar to the tradition of miniature paintings. Working with lines to the minute details and trying to give expressions to the characters in these paintings, and changing this traditional painting from very flat to a three dimensional and perspective effect has been like a great journey. As an artist with a traditional background, it was very difficult and also very interesting to break away from the traditional to modern figures and subjects while also trying to work on the traditional lines so as to maintain and preserve the familiarity with its rich traditional legacy.
It’s my great pleasure to participate at Mithila Festival USA 2021 exhibition entitled “Art for SDGs; the Mithila Heritage” organized by Mithila Center, USA going to be held on April 14-17, 2021.

I would like to thank you Mithila Center, USA for this wonderful opportunity to show case my art at such important event. I truly believe that, Mithila Festival USA and art exhibition would not only support and promote artist but also help to preserve and promote Mithila culture heritage globally.

To promote social entrepreneurship and support artist, live auction will be also held followed by my solo exhibition and so requesting everyone to participate and support.

Solo Exhibition & Art Auction Date: April 16, 2021 (9.00pm-9.45pm)
Zoom ID: 326 172 7262
Passcode: MFU2021

For more info, please visit www.mithilacenter.org

Thank you.