Meena Chopra

Mississauga News December 2005

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Poems, paintings featured in library exhibit
Artist Meena Chopra in the spotlight



Chris Clay
Dec 9, 2005


Flowing prose meets splattered paint at the ongoing artistic exhibition, Residual Dreams, presented by Mississauga's Meena Chopra.

The mixed-media exhibition features snippets of poems penned by Chopra along with a dozen of her abstract paintings. The show runs until Dec. 30 on the second floor at the Central Library.

There is no general theme for the works in the show. Chopra said she feared her inner-creativity wouldn't shine through in just poems or paintings. So, she decided to put on a show that would allow her to express herself through both words and visuals.

"The two forms tend to compliment each other," said Chopra, co-founder of Cross Currents Indo-Canadian International Arts. "Art exists as a way for one to truly understand oneself. I present art for my own satisfaction and personal growth. I find that you have to move outside to create something found on the inside."

Pictures of the dream-like and colourful art can be found at meenachopra2000. Also available for perusal are selections of the poetry.

One such poem is White Canvas.

"Your vivid stroke/etched in my memory/bestirred my stark white canvas. A passing night clasped me/replete with colours."

At the show, the framed poems are strategically placed next to the paintings. Sometimes, the poem will relate to its respective painting while other times, the placement is seemingly random.

In 1996, Chopra's collection of poems were published as a book entitled Ignited Lines, which was released in London, England.

Chopra, a past secretary for the Poetry Club of India, has had her poems translated and published in German. Also, she received honourable mention in the Mississauga Library System's 2003 Poetry Writing Contest for her piece, Stillness Moves.


Meena Chopra's current show at the Central Library features her poems and paintings.







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