No Fear, Ganesha Art is Here, Aug 2020

Bal Ganesh is personified in this work of art wherein the innocence, magnanimity, radiance and aura of Ganesh is captured. This work encapsulates a childlike innocence in Ganesha which is depicted through his eye's which shower grace and through his benevolent smile which sparks communication with his devotee.

The Perpetual Secret.
Sonia Mehra's acrylic-on-linen entitled 'Ganesha's Embrace', enacts a certain primeval aura whereby her Ganesha seems to summon the illusion of emerging from ether - a space that is devoid of dimensions; one of the five elements that is destined to be unfathomable, even for the seemingly enlightened soul.  Here, Sonia offers her interpretation of the popular mythological narrative whereby Ganesha circumambulates his parents (Hindu god Shiva and Goddess Parvati) to prove that are they are indeed his universe. Instinctively, ether is the ruling element of the famed Thillai Natarajar Temple of Chidambaram (dedicated to Shiva as the Lord of Cosmic Dance, in Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu), which is categorised as part of the 'panjabhootha sthalangal' (5 Shiva temples as manifestations of the 5 elements of nature, in South India). Moving beyond technique and style, Sonia's serene and single-minded representation insinuates the essence of the 'Chidambara rahasiyam', a space within the temple that is perceived to be a dimensionless, sanctified ambiance or spatial message that secretly embodies the presence of Shiva and Parvati, whose physicality is only to be evident through the eyes of chosen saints. Intense.