Nidhi Moghariya, originally from India, was enamored by the vibrant colors of her childhood clothing, festivals, spice boxes everything was colorful. It was actually the interest in playing with color and color matching that drew her to experiment with art in the first place.
This incredibly talented portrait artist works primarily with acrylics in an impressionistic style with a cubist twist. By breaking down her images into patterns and fragments of color, she enhances her canvas with touches of light and shadow, using texture to add emphasis. Although her pieces appear quite realistic from a distance, they take on a more profound depth of energy and emotion as the viewer moves in for a closer look.
The Divine Feminine
Growing up, Nidhi had a deep fascination and admiration for the array of goddesses woven throughout Indian culture. In fact, she would often draw these idols on paper, walls, and even on floors as Rangolis. She also practiced Bharatanatyam presumably the oldest classical dance heritage of Hindu India which is conventionally a solo female dance. Performers wear vibrant costumes, beautiful makeup and play with highly emotive facial expressions.
The more that Nidhi studied the dance form, the more that she came to see women as works of art. She was struck by how magnificent these women appeared, even though she witnessed incredibly harmful social norms and stereotypes against women in the world around her. They shone so brightly, like rainbows peaking through a stormy sky.
For Nidhi Moghariya, her artwork is an opportunity to celebrate the beauty and strength of women. Her goal is not so much to represent her subjects realistically, but rather to re-imagine their energy in the paint. She has redefined the meaning of beauty by tearing down the facade hidden behind the smile of a woman and showcasing their true colors. She explores the complexity of relationships love, desire, longing, and fear subjects familiar to us all. Every color and shape on her canvas is like one of the millions of emotions that women feel.
"Art gives us the freedom of expression. Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time," Nidhi explains.
Where Science Meets Art
Although Nidhi always had a passion for art, she did not have the resources or access to good quality institutions in India. Instead, she studied biotechnology engineering. Through her studies, she found a new love for shapes and dimensions. She became deeply aware that the body is an elaborate work of art, both inside and out, with microscopic colors and forms operating the functions of even the most complex species. This understanding is undeniably one of the factors that, nowadays, sets her work apart.
After her studies, Nidhi made the exciting decision to relocate to San Francisco and it was then that she finally felt empowered to pursue a career as an artist. Through the process of moving to the US, she released pre-existing habits and beliefs as she built herself a new life.
A Celebration of Diversity
Nidhi has always had a deep sense of responsibility towards women, especially minorities and those most vulnerable. She sees the power and strength of these women as they push for survival, through even the darkest of times.
By combining a variety of shapes and colors in her work, she aims to break down beauty barriers and create art that shows every color is beautiful and everybody shape is unique. She hopes to shatter stereotypes and release her subjects from a state or situation that limits their freedom of thought or behavior.
Global diversity inspired her to create something vividly stunning, which challenges viewers to draw upon their own emotions and personal experiences. When we consider that only 5.6% of female artists are women artists of color, it is even more impressive that Nidhi has made such an impact in the US, with art already featured in an array of publications and exhibitions. Nidhi's is currently represented by Gallery Guichard, a Chicago-based gallery, where her fine work can be admired.
