Lindo Khandela

I draw a lot of inspiration from my dual identity; being born and raised in South Africa and also being a British citizen. In addition, I am influenced by music, literature and fashion/beauty amongst many other things. My subject matter usually reflects a lot of personal and social issues such as; mental health and intersectional feminism to name a few, but it can also be quite eccentric and playful.

The pieces that I create are mostly figurative; particularly portraying the female form. I create works that vary in size and surface. My mediums of choice are oils, pastels, markers, acrylic paint, paint markers and embellishments such as glitter and rhinestones.

My palette is chaotic, vivacious and bursting with colour. The pieces are intricately detailed with patterns that are largely influenced by my native cultural background. The use of colour is largely instinctive and unpremeditated. My aim is to create images that are not just meaningful but also highly aesthetically pleasing. I see the meaning and the beauty in the work as inextricably linked.

Feel Good

I like to incorporate my interests outside of my art practice, into my art practice. I enjoy painting nails and I love the materials used in nail art; the gels, acrylics, glitter, etc. I went as far as attaining a qualification in nail technician services on my gap year. I make custom order press on nails from time to time and I decorate the nails with embellishments and designs.

The nails are like mini canvases and it’s intriguing to see such a small surface filled with detail. When a client writes a review or a message about how my nails really made their birthday, night out or gave them a boost of confidence, the fact that my nails made their day that much more special really means a lot to me and this is what brought me to my project Idea.

Women generally face a lot of challenges in society. One of our biggest challenges being that we are continuously judged on our appearances and it takes an extensive amount of time to reach a place of full acceptance and confidence within ourselves. The salon I’m sure, for many women and myself, is a space that women come in, have a drink, get their hair or nails done whilst talking about their joys and stresses amongst each other. It’s a space that is not only therapeutic in the physical sense but it can also be therapeutic internally. There is this great feeling that comes over you when you’ve just had your hair or nails done. Some may argue that the beauty industry is bad for ones confidence; however, I personally don’t see anything wrong with boosting your confidence by expressing yourself and enhancing your natural beauty, in a world that is built to constantly bring you down.

Drawing inspiration from the salon atmosphere, the aim of my piece is to allow the viewer to immerse themselves in a fun space that is humorous, empowering and intended to make them feel that positive “just got my nails done” vibe. The pieces in the space are inspired by the salon, nail art, women that I don’t /do know personally and inspiring quotes. The pieces also reflect self love, strength, letting your hair down and feeling good.

That’s the title of my project “Feel good”.

The mediums I have used to create the works are acrylics, markers, gold leaf, holographic foils, embellishments, mirror, resin, mdf board and canvas in various shapes and sizes.