INTERVIEW: Mani Kambo

Mani Kambo is a multidisciplinary artist based in Newcastle. Primarily working in textiles, print and moving image, Mani has recently embarked on an exciting journey working with new materials on a much larger scale for Ax-is Mun-di; her exhibition opening at Baltic on Saturday 7^th December.

Mani explained some of her influences: “I was brought up with a lot of superstitions, and found them really interesting. I’ve been influenced by textiles because of my family lineage. In India there’s a class system dependent on who you are and where you’re from, or you might do a certain trade, and my family are tailors and fabric dyers. I wouldn’t say it’s prominent in my work, but I like that there’s this rooted history in my practice and the materials I’m using.”

Mani has a beautiful imagination partly formed by her love of arthouse cinema, which is prominent in her use of symbolism: “I enjoy using symbols because sometimes words are quite difficult. You can’t always express yourself in words, or convey a meaning, so I feel like a symbol is a pictorial language.” Mani elaborated: “The eyes or the hands are symbols that are quite common, for me they have one meaning, but to someone else they might have a different meaning. The dot to me is quite a powerful symbol, because it links to the idea of the starting point of everything. Everything expands outwards and shrinks back to it. The biggest and smallest part of everything.”

I like that there’s this rooted history in my practice and the materials I’m using

While in residence at Baltic, Mani was able to explore new art forms like laser cutting, etching into wood and using found objects like rocks. During her research she came across the idea of axis mundi, explaining: “It’s the idea of the threads that connect the underworld, the earth and the heavens above. The idea of portals and different worlds, the cosmos and space. There’s something really powerful about it, like when you stand in your back garden on a clear night and you can see the stars, and you’re like ‘wow’, that’s up there. And thinking about how we exist in relation to that idea of the earth, the planet, space.” Mani detailed how this concept explores a liminal, in-between space and the transitions between them: “A simpler way is the idea of being awake and being asleep, and how you move between realms and spaces transcending.” In addition to her fascination with sleep and dreams, Mani expressed an interest in magic: “You kind of know it’s not real but there’s something about wanting to believe that it’s real. You’re wanting to manifest something, which can bring an element of hope and positivity that inspires, it’s such a happy thing.”

Mani’s work is powerful, striking, bold and unique, with an air of freedom around it, having less of a prescribed meaning but giving the viewer independence to make their own interpretations. “I’m always fascinated in what connections and stories people make up about the work themselves”. When discussing the opening of the exhibition Mani explained: “There’s almost a vulnerability in showing your work. Quite a big culmination of my practice over the last few years are coming together and different areas that I’ve explored. It’s really exciting but also petrifying!”

Ax-is Mun-di runs at Baltic, Gateshead from Saturday 7^th December-Sunday 1^st June.