The surreal dreamscapes of the artist’s inner world are portals that take the viewer on “a quiet exploration of femininity grounded in introspection and rest.”
Image: Offering the vision
The works in Ayushi’s featured series, ‘Between Stillness and Shape’, do not carry a linear connection and yet seem like flashes of the same dream, recalled slowly over time. In our very first artist spotlight, we try to unpack the quiet philosophy that guides her artistic process from observation to form.
The series title is beautiful: ‘Between Stillness and Shape’. Was making this series more of a dialogue with your subconscious, or a translation of it for others to see?
With this series of paintings began my first real inquiry into the depths of worlds I know I can bring to life. It is definitely a dialogue with my subconscious, and also a translation at the same time, because through sharing what I created, I found an intimate community that resonated with what I had to offer. It was those personal exchanges and conversations I had with people that shaped the way I work. I remember writing my dreams to a friend right after waking up and then later discussing recurring themes and motifs nearly every other day. Everything worked together to keep the current of the process alive.
Now that this body of work is complete and being shared with the world, what has it left you with, personally? Paint us a picture of your headspace.
I usually feel empty after I finish a painting. This body of work came to life when my process was abundant in raw experimentation. I had so many doubts, but I stayed in the feeling, gave it time, and trusted my hands more than ever.
Back then, what I saw in my mind was barely making it to the paper. Now that it is in the world, a life of its own, I feel relieved and safe in its nakedness of expression. I read somewhere that whatever is real in the work continues working, so it has.
Image: Grounding the light
If you could go back to the beginning of creating this series (2020-2021), what would you tell the artist you were then, knowing the journey these works would take you on?
I would tell her to ‘doubt the doubt,’ and to see that uncertainty is not a threat but an empty field of infinite possibilities. I’d urge her to honour the deep excitement over a thought, to discover an even greater intensity, and to have unconditional faith in the feeling of urgency that is Creation itself—because going with that flow is the same as making your own waves.
Image: Grace & Guilt
When someone stands before ‘Grace & Guilt’ or any piece in this series, what is the one silent conversation you hope it starts within them?
For anyone who looks at my paintings and wonders what the hell is going on — honour that curiosity, let it lead you. Mystery provides endlessly if you rest in it; it opens you up and expands the way you perceive anything at all.
I’ve had many synchronous instances where people have told me how certain figures in my paintings mirrored specific moments that stayed with them, or how a dream they saw slightly resembled the events in a painting. I think that’s intimate and beautiful.
Your series has a recurring motif — the human eyeball. What does that symbolism mean to you personally? Why is it blue?
I think in moving images, my thoughts are short films. As a child, my favourite thing to do was watch everything my eyes could see. I observed deeply without knowing I was doing that. I also wondered if I was being watched by what I was watching. I think it’s just that. The human eyeball is perspective, and it is coloured by what it observes.
Image: I am Observing
The LMSA Take
‘Between Stillness and Shape’ is an invitation to witness the quiet, reflective moment after waking up from a dream. In works like ‘I am Observing’, that initial, focused gaze draws you into a state of deep attention. This act of seeing evolves into ‘Offering the Vision’, where perception crystallizes into a form meant to be shared.
From there, the journey turns inward, as seen in ‘The Ideas Grow’ and ‘Grace & Guilt’. Here, the observed world has taken root within, branching into complex internal landscapes drenched in swatches of fluid colours, where serene acceptance and poignant tension coexist, capturing the very essence of existing between stillness and a definitive form.
This series speaks to the contemplative soul, to anyone who finds resonance in paused moments and the quiet drama of internal transformation. It is for those who move with intuition and seek in art a sanctuary for their inner selves.
For a deeper connection with the work, experience the entire Between Stillness and Shape series on LMSA.art
