In her recent paintings, one will observe strong hues which represent the intensity of her themes—energy and creation. “It is not that I am against monochromatic works but it is more like an exploration in a sense that I want to see how varied and bold colours look under different combinations. Sometimes I hear from people, ‘You have used such a bright pink.’ But I just let it be. Everything exists simultaneously in the universe and that is what I represent,” says Kohli.
The artist was also exposed to spirituality at an early age and later went on to study philosophy at Delhi University. “We had a fairly spiritual family. We don’t follow any specific religion. I was, of course, told about the work of many Hindu saints but it was never boxed into a Hindu concept. There were other influences as well. The spirituality in Sikhism, Islam, and Christianity also influenced to a large extent. Reading philosophy helped me get acquainted with multiples thoughts,” she says.
Kohli believes that her experiments in various mediums have given her the sense of travel. She says, “One medium has always satisfied me but I never felt that I should be stopping at that itself. I have always thought that working in different mediums is similar to travelling. One doesn’t stop her journey after visiting a single place. It is an innate desire of an artist to keep passing the paths you have not crossed as well.”
To teach her techniques she will be travelling to seven universities in the US this year. “Through workshops and performances I will be demonstrating what I have learned till now to students of art. I like to interact with people who are interested in my art so it is very important for me to be in good health,” says Kohli.
The artist works hard on her physical well-being. There is gym equipment in her studio, which itself is like a home to Kohli. She works for around 12 hours every day in that space. She says, “Our life should be fun-filled and there should be adequate work, and this can only be achieved if we are in good health.”
Kohli believes that when she started making sense of colours as a child, she knew she had found herself. She says, “I always felt that I am an artist and I am creating artworks and this is a serious thing for me. it is not that I am whiling away my time. At six I started understanding a little about colours and the love for painting stayed since then. I didn’t feel the need for any other company as a kid. I was happy with my three friends: paper, pen and colours. We were sharing the same dream of creating a universe and going on adventures through that.”
Most of the time, the artist still ventures out on her creative adventures and explorations in an improvised way. “I sometimes don’t think about where exactly I need to put my brush down. Most of the time I am not even thinking what I am making but go on creating the work because when the coordination of mind, body and heart is in tune everything falls onto the place,” says Kohli.