SALA Festival Presents Ayesha Aggarwal's 'i just want to paint flowers' at Pink Shorts Press

Local artist Ayesha Aggarwal's newest exhibition, i just want to paint flowers, is currently on show at Pink Shorts Press in Adelaide Arcade as part of this year's SALA Festival program.

An Indian-Australian artist based in Kaurna Yerta, Aggarwal is best known for her illustrated ceramics but is moving towards experimenting with different materials and techniques.

Described in press material as "a meditation on how making art can make you feel, how it can hold the things you're ready to release and leave you better for it," this new artwork marks Aggarwal's transition from ceramics into a multidisciplinary practice using new materials and techniques exploring themes of mental health, belonging and identity.

There's also an interactive element to the exhibition, with Aggarwal inviting visitors to "paint a flower and let it go" on the various ceramics, helping the installation evolve and creating a collaborative piece of art.

This Saturday 22 August there will be three intimate 1-hour workshops where participants can discover floristry, still life drawing and collage run by Aggarwal, florist Jake Lane of FLWR.bttm and Pink Shorts Press' Emily Hart.

"The workshops are about sharing skills in an environment where people can have a go without worrying about whether they're 'good' at making art," says Aggarwal. "There is so much joy just in making something with your hands."

Ayesha Aggarwal's i just want to paint flowers runs until Wednesday 26 August at Pink Shorts Press in Adelaide Arcade. Check out the full catalogue of artwork here. The workshops are held this Saturday 22 August. Tickets are on sale at humanitix.com.