serigraphy monoprint; each 20×20″

“I am a Mandala artist, taught by my grandmother and mother from the age of five. The Mandala (Sanskrit for “circle” or “completion”) has a long history and is recognized for its deep spiritual meaning and representation of wholeness. Creating a mandala is a window for exploring one’s inner self.
Many people and cultures have vouched for the mandala’s intrinsic meaning. Buddhists, Tibetans, and Hindus have all derived meaning from it and from its captivating beauty. Psychoanalyst Carl Jung called it “a representation of the unconscious self.” A mandala has many purposes. It can be used for insight, healing, and self-expression with the circular design reflecting the wholeness of the person creating it. I create colorful mandalas that exude the creative energy of the life force and inspire us to live mindful lives.
Colors in Mandalas have specific energies and, manifested through the design, have powerful energies. Mandalas are used within many Indian religions for meditation or to invoke the power of a deity. While creating Mandala art for myself or the community, I immerse myself in the energy of my women ancestors, Goddess Lakshmi and Mother Earth, thereby attaining a vibrational state of being. Discerning how to construct such a mandala would probably help us understand ourselves better and help us lead a life where there is harmony between our inner and outer worlds.”

ARTIST BIO: Radha Lakshmi, a child of Southern India, was born and raised in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and a Master of Fine Art at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Radha’s creative expressions come from the folklore traditions of her birth country. She a visual artist, a trained printmaker who has naturally progressed to become a ritual performance artist as well as a community Participatory Artist. Radha has National and International teaching experience.