With flying colours: Check out artist Michelle Poonawalla’s 3D canvas works in What If You Fly?

‘There is freedom
waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky.
And you ask,
“What if I fall?”
Oh, but my darling,
what if you fly?

This poem penned by Erin Hanson serves as an inspiration for artist Michelle Poonawalla’s latest exhibition of paintings What if you Fly?, that is curated by Swapan Seth. Having read the poem years ago, many times over, she says, “The question, ‘what if I fail?’ is one that everyone faces at some point in their lives. I’m a positive person and look on the brighter side of things, and so I ask the question — what if you fly?” She holds an honours graduate degree in Interior Design, and is the granddaughter of well-known Mumbai architect Jehangir Vazifdar, known for his buildings as well his art works. She’s also the wife of businessman Yohan Poonawalla and mother of two.

Vazifdar is also known for his secret ruler technique of oil painting. He called this his ‘fake proof art’, where no painting can ever be copied or recreated. Not only did he inspire Michelle to be an artist but also passed on this closely-guarded secret to her. But it didn’t come so easy to her. He bestowed this knowledge to her when she was in her early 30s. And she’s used this technique in her other paintings, which haven’t been exhibited yet.

Michelle first created her signature butterfly work in 2016 for an exhibition in Mumbai for The Gateway School. The artists included in the show were stalwarts like Ajay De, Thota Vaikuntam, Ramesh Gorjala and Vijay Kadam. The butterfly work was very well received and the demand kept increasing, so much so that Michelle began to create a series, dedicated to butterflies.

“What If You Fly? is my butterfly collection of art. It is a mixture of 3D installation and technology, and has about 20 art works and four sculptures. In the exhibition, you will see the progression of the works. What it started with, to what it became. There is a nice flow, and the paintings are grouped accordingly,” says Michelle, who has slowly built the series over the past one-and-a-half years.

Poonawalla’s favourite Indian artists are her grandfather Vazifdar, MF Hussain and SH Raza, as they have very individual techniques. As for international artists, her favourites are Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali, as they were all creative geniuses and pioneers of modern art.

How does she perceive art and what does it mean to her? “Art is creativity. Art is design. Art is expression. Art is everywhere in everything. To me, art is a way of life. I am an artist and I am a designer and when you have that, you can design anything. Be it interiors, be it landscape or graphic design. A keen eye can pick up aesthetics and proportions instantly,” says Michelle.

The artist thinks the art scene has greatly evolved in the last few years. Any changes she’d like to see? Poonawalla says, “I would like to see the art circle become more open and embrace young talent. Art has no boundaries. It shouldn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor or what your background is. Talent is something that you are born with, not something that you buy.”

WHEN: February 1-4
WHERE: Vis A Vis India, Chattarpur, New Delhi