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Sunday Times Extra, May 16 2010

Artist’s touching tribute to mom who died of Alzheimers by Santham Pillay In Sunday Times Extra, May 16 2010

Artist Amita Makan hopes her exhibition of 12 paintings of her late mother will remind people to cherish their family relationships.

Last year, Makan’s mother, Vasanti, lost her battle with Alzheimers disease, a degenerative brain disorder which she endured for 13 years.

Four years ago, Makan decided to create a series of paintings of her mother before her illness as a tribute to her.

Makan, 42, used a combination of oils and embroidery to depict her mother on canvas and cloth.

Her exhibition, entitled Evanescence, opened on Tuesday in the KZNSA Gallery in Durban and will run until May 30. It is her first solo exhibition.

The meaning of evanescence is ‘soon passing out of sight, memory and existence’. So this is about my mom’s and my journey and how it was interrupted when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she said.

The painter, from Waterkloof in Pretoria, said she was inspired to start the project when her mother gave her two presents, a jewelry box and two photographs of herself.

“The first painting I did was a copy of one of the photographs she gave me. That marked the beginning of our journey together.

“I always wanted to paint her, but because she was so sick, the need to paint her became more pressing”.

Makan hopes that people, after viewing her paintings, will appreciate their own relationships with their loved ones. “Nurture the relationships you have because nothing is permanant. Treasure moments”.

The full-time artist said that the process of painting her mother both before and after her death had been cathartic.

“I went on a journey of discovery and healing, and I came to realise this was not the end. It was my way of spending time with her and grieving for her”, she said.