This Chennai artist paints with the Tamil alphabet

Varsha — @ uyirmei.jpg on Instagram — paints with words placed at the tip of the brush, not figuratively at all. A Chennai-based landscape architect and graphic designer, she paints with the Tamil alphabet, and by extension, Tamil culture.

Her Kolam-creative, which figured in the 2023 Republic Day parade in Tamil Nadu having made it to information department’s Tableau, is just carefully-drawn Tamil letters providing shape and meaning to art.

Her passion for Tamil language and culture bloomed, ironically, when she was transplanted to a place where they were least heard and experienced.

She shares, “Living away from home made me miss what I once took for granted. Hearing random Tamil words in a different city lifted my spirits. I rediscovered the beauty of Tamil language and literature, and I wanted to share it through my artwork,” says Varsha.

This transformation now permeates all aspects of her life: it has made Chennai truly home, if not for anything other than the opportunity at almost every turn to hear and see Tamil words.

“For 24 out of my 27 years of life, I have called Chennai home. My parents moved here when I was just a year old. Participating in the Madras Inktober series really broadened my perspective on Chennai. Many of my Inktober artworks reflect the essence of the city, like the water lorry piece inspired by Chennai’s water scarcity. One of my fondest childhood memories is persuading my parents to take me to the beach for some snacks. All these small moments in Chennai have had a profound influence on my art,” says Varsha.

After having lived in various parts of South Chennai, Varsha currently lives in Pallikaranai, not too far from the marshland, and having birds as next-door neighbours is the best thing to have happened to her.

“In Pallikaranai I get to admire the marshland, outrage about the wasteland, and be mesmerised and distracted by beautiful migratory birds,” she remarks.

Varsha’s works when explored deeper reveal a profound social dimension, “I have different sections in my art that address various themes. One section of my art explores Tamil literature, to highlight the lesser known lines from Sangam Literature that remain relevant today. And other sections of my art are for pop-culture and political ideology, and a lot of my work also captures the female perspective, and overall, love is something that I seek to convey,” says Varsha.

Finally, when it comes to how the audience are observing, understanding and responding to the various creative works of theirs, Varsha shares, “Art is partly what the maker creates and partly what the audience consumes. While Instagram visibility depends on audience reactions, I also prioritise authenticity and share what I feel is important, even if it might not become a big hit.”