3 Minutes with Sanyaa Mehortra
Born in New Delhi, the talented 20-year-old Sanyaa Mehrotra is currently an undergraduate at LASALLE College of The Arts, earning her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. The young artist is currently exploring various platforms of expression from the traditional disciplines to the more modern art forms including the making of YouTube videos even as she actively pursues her practice.
1) What was your first exhibition at SPRMRKT like?
A rollercoaster! From being super excited to self-depreciating and nervous and then enthusiastic again, I went through it all. I’m happy with how it turned out to be. Also, really thankful to my classmates who introduced me to SPRMRKT and made it happen.
2) Was there anything you would have done differently?
Not really, no. It was a really good learning experience for me personally and I wouldn’t change anything.
Sanyaa Mehrotra, REFLECTIONS “Untitled” , 2017. Indian Ink on Chinese Rice Paper
3) Which body of work are you most proud of would like to develop further? Tell us why.
To be honest, this is just the start- there are a lot more mediums that I want to explore and take forward in more depth. Lots to look forward to! But I’m proud of both series- Reflections and Lahu Ka Lagaan. In fact, I’m doing an extension of Reflections as a Performance on 3rd November.
4) You just found out that your name Sanyaa means “Light Of The Sun” in Hindi. Have that given you more relevance in your identity as a young artist?
5) The body of work entitled, “Reflections” captures your name handwritten repetitively. Knowing what your name means now, has that change your perspective on this body of work?
I was named by not looking at the meaning of the name, but by joining the names of my parents- Sandeep and Soniya, which is what holds the most value to me. It constantly reminds me of them and motivates me to work hard to be able to make them proud.
In Greek, Sanyaa means Defender/ Light of the sun and in Hindi, it means Beyond Comparision. This may add more meaning to the works from Reflections for the audience per se, but doesn’t really make much of a difference to me.
6) What does being an artist in Singapore (as opposed to being one in India) mean to you?
I came to Singapore to study art as soon as I finished academic school and hence have actually been more of an artist in Singapore than India, but I’d definitely say that materials are much easier and cheaper to get in India making it easier to experiment and explore.
7) Where do you look for inspiration?
It comes from my own daily life. These days it’s coming from India, since I’m homesick. My mind space currently is all about vibrant colors and Bollywood, the stereotypical representation of India. So, Inspiration is coming from India and the creation is happening in Singapore.
8) Who inspires you?
Being in art school, I’m surrounded by brilliant, passionate lecturers and students who are a constant source of inspiration. I also watch vlogs on YouTube- the amount of work some of these YouTubers put in on a daily basis is really motivating- makes me want to work harder.
9) What advice would you give to a young fellow artist?
‘Just Keep Swimming’.
