Eleena Banik on her inspirations that fuel her abstract art
Artist Eleena Banik’s newest collection, The Terrain Between Dreams in the Understory, is a beautiful meditation on what we often miss. She uses the layered life beneath a forest—the understory—as a metaphor for our deepest memories and feelings.
Eleena Banik shares her inspirations, her journey, and more
Her art creates a space where nature slips into pure abstraction, using stunning chromatic intensity and strong lines to capture emotion, not just scenes. These are internal landscapes, where forms shift and dream logic reigns. Eleena compels us to look beyond the surface and engage with the powerful intensity of the unseen.
In a candid chat with Indulge, Eleena talks about her journey, her inspiration, and more.
Could you share a brief about your artistic journey?
I started at Santiniketan and then went on to study at the Glasgow School of Art. My connection with Chennai began when I was a student, about 20 years old, at an art fair at the Egmore Museum. That's where I met Sharan Apparao and Anjolie Ela Menon. Anjolie appreciated my work, and that was the beginning of a long journey. Sharan organised my first solo show in 1997, and we’ve collaborated on many exhibitions across India and abroad since.
What are the primary visual inspirations in the paintings for this show?
I draw a lot from nature in silhouettes—like the trees in the evening that become solid masses, like a cluster of huge clusters. I’m also inspired by landscapes seen from a bird’s-eye view, a result of my frequent travels. You’ll see silhouetted landscapes with birds flying around, painted in surrealistic colours—violet, mauve, purple, and cadmium red—which are all born from my extreme romantic character. I also have a lot of influence from Santal tales, which you can see in some of the islands and creatures that evoke the birth of the world.
Given the title is The terrain between dreams in the understory, is there a piece in this exhibition that you feel most purely encapsulates the dream aspect?
Many of my works are born from reveries and fantasy. The painting inspired by the Santal mythological story, showing islands, strange creatures, and a huge eagle in a bird’s-eye view, truly represents that dreamlike beginning of the universe. Another piece, inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood, where a king looks at the forest, is also full of that layered romanticism and surrealism.
You are a single mother. How do you manage to sustain your demanding art practice?
After my daughter was born, I had to stop travelling extensively. I decided that if I couldn’t visit the world, I would bring the world to my doorstep. I started a homestay in my family’s old Kolkata house. This allows me to continue my work while meeting people from different professions globally. My feminine instinct, what I call my feminine instinct, inspires my creativity. I believe that if there is a goal, I would fulfil that goal somehow. My art, like raising my daughter, is a work of great perseverance.
The Terrain Between Dreams in the Understory is on till October 31. Tuesday – Saturday, from 3 pm to 6.30 pm. At Apparao Galleries, Nungambakkam, Chennai.
