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Laila Khan FurniturewallaLaila in her StudioUntitled 1 Acrylic & Gold Leaf on Canvas 45” x 33”The work of Indian artist Laila Khan Furniturewalla is centeredaround the feminine predicament, the iconic notion of femininityversus the emotive richness, depth, and complexity that come to definea woman’s true inner life. In her art, the artist strives to transform thecomplexities of the female figure into harmonies of simplified formswith an undercurrent of expressionistic intensity, thereby revealing“the innate reality, the life force, the spirit, the inherent symbolism,and the underlying remarkable structure to give emphasis to form withthe greatest clarity.”In her most recent work, Laila has moved from oils to painting mostlyin acrylics, with a predominant use of gold pigment and gold leaf. Ineach piece, muted, seductive colors and taut compositions speak ofthe mysteries that surround the feminine, both in terms of physicalbeauty and the elusive female inner world. Powerful symbolism in theform of Hindu gods and goddesses wends its way into her work aswell, sometimes subtly, while other pieces focus solely on the powerof such deities as Ganesh or Shakti. But dominating her art forms isa great ambivalence within her figural subjects, who reveal as theyconceal and ultimately tease the viewer, promising a glimpse both ofthe highest divinity and the depths of utter human devastation.Untitled 2 Acrylic & Gold Leaf on Canvas 48” x 36”Interestingly, Laila’s work is never titled, as she feels that by giving a painting a name, she is imposing a limitation on the viewingprocess, denying the viewer the freedom to interpret and derive their own unique experience with the piece. Yet each imageshe offers the viewer is highly personal, as her emotional connection with the universe is translated into visual compositionsand forms. As Laila explains, “Each time I make a painting, I celebrate the life I love and the beauty I know, which also distillspersonal feelings of isolation and connectedness, despair, rebellion, and hope, but in the context of the eternal final conflictbetween being an artist and a woman.”Laila Khan Furniturewalla currently lives and works in Mumbai, India.www.lailakhan.inwww.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/Laila_Khan_Furniturewalla.aspx63 ARTisSpectrum