An artist, curator and lecturer with numerous awards to her name, Radha's art is skilful, enigmatic and mature to match the extensive
research she has completed in her specialist field of inquiry. Her art found its starting point in the 'kolam' designs created by women in
Chennai where she was born: 'Where I grew up, women rose before dawn. It was their quiet time with the universe; free from the
hectic schedule that they face during the day, women clean and draw geometrical rice powder patterns on the ground at the
entrances of their homes'. This everyday ritual of making paintings on the ground was fascinating to the artist not only aesthetically
but also as a symbol of femininity and as a bonding ritual comparable with the female oral tradition in India. As she researched
further, she found great parallels with other cultures throughout the world, in particular with the aboriginal artists of Australia, the
Native Americans and the Tibetans. Radha, a highly-skilled printmaker trained initially by R.B. Bhaskaran in Chennai and afterwards
by Krishna Reddy, uses the colour woodcut printing technique to create singular images of distinctive pattern and imagery; the
momentary product of her inner harmonics and emotion. The repetition normally associated with printmaking only exists in the
process: the usage of intricate, expensive, old hand-carved blocks. Radha saw that her artworks could explore the patterns of
meaning created by women of different cultures as well as be a place to manifest her own life's stories and exorcise her demons. In
this exhibition, many works express her grief after her father passed away. 'Metaphysical Space' (2009), was created in response to
her thoughts on karma and re-incarnation. It explores 'Samsara', the migration of souls as what one does in one's past lives gradually
reveals the path of our soul to our next life. “Even though I did not have a great relationship with my father, [his passing] made me
think about my past and how I could have changed things with him. ... the lines of the kolam became spiritual links to my ancestors.
The prints became metaphysical spaces through their colour and design.” The snake motif that one finds in many of the works in the
show, including 'Adhisesha' (2009), is a homage to her maternal grandfather whose first name was 'Adhisesha' meaning 'King of
Snakes'. It winds its way through her pieces sometimes clearly visible, other times more hidden. It appears like a pathway, though one
moving underfoot, taking us forward faster than we would like or backwards to confront the past.