SENYENSEN: An artistic trio of Atia Sen, Yen and Tan Sen who believe in creating as part of a community, and take inspiration from the energy of their surroundings.
‘Cohabitation’
We asked SENYENSEN our top 3 questions and their answers have infused more meaning to the experience of viewing their Art.
Q.You must get this question all the time, but we HAVE TO KNOW- How did the three of you meet and How did SENYENSEN happen?
A. Thanks to the one thing we all have majorly in common- the love for traveling. Tan and I are twins actually so we've known each other for 28 years now but Tan happened to meet Yen during one of his trips to Auroville. There was an instant connection and when they realised they both are from delhi, they made immediate plans to meet and paint together in delhi. I (atia), meanwhile was completing my undergraduate from Srishti school of Art, Design and Technology. I came back to discover this new beautiful budding friendship, a dynamic that seemed so strong and inseparable already. Their idea of "hanging out" was going crazy with paints and exploring new techniques and styles, I couldnt stop myself from joining forces with a duo that seemed so fun and experimentative! We collaborated on our first piece and posted it on instagram. It was bought by someone on the same day. This is when we realised it might just be a good idea to team up and create more. It anyway sounded more fun and beneficial than painting alone. So yeah, that's how senyensen came up circa 2019.
Project for Fab Cafe, Delhi
Q. How do you design as a team? Especially in colour choice, do they come naturally to you or do you have a process for it?
A. Each of us brings our own artistic touch to the canvas to create realms and include elements that would otherwise be hard to acquire. We all have very different strengths and weaknesses which only work in our favour. Tan brings in a surrealist aspect to our works, he focuses on creating perspective/depth with shapes and forms while focussing on the light and shadow play ; Yen is excellent with realism and has a great sense of lighting and a wide array of techniques. I am more about being impulsive and following my instinct, focusing more on the textures and details. Therefore, our end result is always quite dynamic with three very obviously different styles on one canvas, and since each one of us have very different strengths, we allow each other that space and freedom to add our respective bit to every work. There are obviously disagreements here and there but we feel that it is only imperative for us to reach a common ground. Regarding the choice of colour, we really just go with the flow and have learnt to trust each other with our individual choices and processes . We try to keep away from too many rules and regulations so there can be a good flow of different concepts and ideas. The choice of colour comes during the process of ideation and so far we've all been on the same page about the colour choices.
‘Reveal’ in collaboration with St+art Kovai at Coimbatore.
This mural by Senyensen Collective is an ode to the migratory birds and animals of Coimbatore. The artists chose to reflect on the rapid urbanisation of the city while contemplating the movement patterns of the region's indigenous creatures. An anthropomorphised fish holds up a young frog against a backdrop of flourishing plant life—reimagining the possibility of a harmonious co-existence of built and natural environments.
Details of ‘Reveal’
Q. Your work in association with the St+art Kovai, like a lot of your other works, feels very inspired by nature. Is this something you see yourselves continuing even in the future?
A. Oh yes absolutely! Apart from working together, we also travel together a lot and we all feel it is so important to do that as a team and be inspired and share our inspiration and experiences together. Observing textures for example of different rocks, leaves, trees, insects of different places we travel to or studying the light and shadow play of different landscapes, the hues and colours of the sky, all these have a major impact and serve as a huge inspiration for what we finally create.
‘The Rehearsal’
Every element in their paintings- Colour, texture, subjects, their essence, the message they convey is very thoughtfully added and has an impact on the final outcome. Viewers not only view but consume art and having access to art like this brings peace and tranquility.
What do you think of SENYENSEN Collective’s work?
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