Artist Printmaker
Hello. I’m Mandeep Dhadialla, an artist printmaker. I am fascinated by telling the story of how people and landscape are in an interconnected cyclical exchange, told through the lens of landscape, plants and colour.
My work draws on my childhood in Kenya and migrating to England in my early teens. Working with plants and landscape and colour and light, is an important part of my practice – stemming from my “Garden Plants of Kenya” linocut series, which explored urban plants as an overall theme.
“Plants and Place” is my overarching research theme merging my lived experiences across vastly different continents, the emotional connections, migration and stillness in displacement found through the constant anchoring of landscape. Under this umbrella sits some projects I am working on and exploring.
‘Front Gardens’ is one project about what the impact on flourishing and/or loss of local urban front gardens is on the natural environment, human wellbeing and sense of community – how the interconnected exchange between people-to-people and their local landscape may be at risk on an inner emotional and outer physical level. How loss and absence of having something to care for or nurture affects our sense of belonging on a wider scale. ‘Seeds of Migration’ captures the story about how plants connect people from around the world by engaging with their plant heritage; an explorative project around the idea of networks. ‘Colours of Damage’ is another project which is closer to my doorstep in Leicester. This series of colour studies records the colour changes of leaves, trees, plants on my regular walking route from my home around my local green space, observed over a period of time – from flourishing vivid colours in the summer to beautiful decaying tones in the winter.
Colour is a large emphasis in my practice. It is a way for me to visually convey my emotional responses to being immersed in landscape / plants, to highlight the interconnected cyclical exchange which feeds my being. Colour and light play are the basis of my observations expressed through sketch, paint and print studies – organically informing my work by evolving into experimental textural and painterly combined printmaking techniques such as linocut, collagraph and introducing encaustic wax monoprinting.
Working in collaboration with artists’ and organisations through making, conversation and research fuels my desire to bring meaning to my work in tune with a more in-depth, slow-working, considered approach.
About me
I am a Kenyan born British-Indian artist printmaker living in Leicester working with linocut. I have a degree in Fine Art from DeMontfort University and am a member of the Leicester Print Workshop. In addition to my printmaking practice, I share my printmaking and bookmaking skills teaching at arts organisations and museums, and collaborate with artists’ on creative socially-engaged projects. I regularly exhibit my work nationally.
Recent work
2023 – 2024 – Artist commission with Creative Leicestershire’s Animating Leicestershire Towns project.
2023 – Major artist commission by Leicester Museums and Galleries (LMAG) through their NPO funding. ‘Steam & Seeds’ are a triptych of linocuts depicting the interconnected cyclical exchange of wastewater management told through the lens of plants. The original linocuts are part of the LMAG permanent collection.
2022 -2023 – Creative socially-engaged projects commissioned by ArtReach for their annual festival with people from sanctuary seeking backgrounds; plus other community arts workshops and projects.
Key exhibitions & awards
Leicester Society of Artists 2023 (Prize winner)
Sock Gallery 2022 & 2019 (Highly Commended & Runner Up)
Society of Women Artists Exhibition 2021
Teeside Print Prize 2020 (Commended)
Circle Foundation for the Arts Kenya 2020 (Honourable Mention)
Memberships
Mandeep Dhadialla | ARTIST printmaker 