Faith and the Artists
Mythical Mandalas
by Nikki Parmenter
Issue 10, Autumn/Winter 2003
I love to paint: to create a new and unique artefact following many hours of research, with painstaking attention to detail and complete absorption in my chosen theme. My inspiration is taken from a variety of multi-cultural sources in order to create mixed media pieces that are rich and complex.
I am intrigued by the symbolism devised by different races and societies, and the way in which objects, natural phenomena, birds and animals are granted a special symbolic significance or imbued with magical qualities or powers. I investigate the ways in which rituals, religious events and myths have been categorised and recorded, and draw these common threads together to make artworks which combine ancient and modern, Eastern and Western, factual and mythical as a coherent image.
Goddess Mandala (© Nikki Parmenter)
My new series of works, Creations. Myths and Mandalas, gives me the opportunity to immerse myself in the rich cultural identities of many different people. The Mandala is an aid to meditation, being made up of a series of circles and squares, each of which contain detailed images and decoration. I try to capture the depth of colour, the pattern and the symmetry which are intrinsic to the formation of a Mandala.
The Mandala composition provides a superb framework on to which images can be placed, and I have adapted this traditionally Tibetan art form to incorporate a variety of cultural references: Mistress of the Animals is a shaped mandala inspired by a thousand year-old bronze Argentinean shield, showing an abstract figure flanked by two jaguars, and I have used a variety of media to realise my intentions. Love Mandala draws further afield in order to gather its imagery, being an exploration into the ways in which different cultures represented the notion of love - ancient Greek figures, Klin-it's Kiss, Matisse nudes, Chinese geishas, Raphael cupids, hearts and flowers all combine to create a united whole. Goddess Mandala is comprised of women from different times and cultures and the figures cohabit peacefully with the structure - Gaia, Mary and Jesus, The Sumerian Whi Goddess Belili, and others, are all represented on this rich decorated piece.
In a world where, it seems, many people enjoy the quick fix of manufactured passive entertainment and designer labelled consumerism, I feel that it is important to remain aware of the cultural heritage that underpins every society. It is a subject that holds an endless fascination for me.
Nikki Parmenter has exhibited widely throughout England, especially in the North West, and in Germany. From the 13th January 2004 The Drumcroon Art Centre. Wigan will feature her work alongside the paintings of Caroline Jariwala (featured in issue 5 of Initiative) and Amrit and Rabindra KD Kaur Singh (featured in issue 3 of Initiative). For further details of the exhibition please see website www.drurncroon.org.uk or telephone 01942 321840.
