Chausat Yogini (64 Yoginis)

This series of 64 etchings visualises the cosmic feminine energy (Shakti) as it emerges from the Hiranyagarbha, or golden womb, and continuously multiplies into countless forms. Each Yogini represents a unique manifestation of this ever-expanding spiritual and creative force across time and space.

Seema Kohli, Oct 2014 — The concept is the copyright of the author/artist Seema Kohli and cannot be copied or distributed without prior knowledge of the author.

Chausat Yogini, 64 Etching on paper, 10 inch × 8 inch (each), 2014

I believe that there first existed a womb through which everything came to be created, which I call the golden womb or the ‘Hiranyagarbha’. This golden womb, this one energy or ‘shakti’ later disintegrated into three. These three new shaktis came to be known by the names Durga, Laxmi and Saraswati. These names that have been conferred upon these shaktis might be mythical in nature but the purpose of the existence of these shaktis is not mythical.

I believe that every idea or concept has to be contained in a time, space and by a name; so I have tried to use the same names that have traditionally been used for these shaktis. Now these three shaktis further disintegrated into 7, then 15, 21, 42, 64, 81 and so on; thus these energies constantly kept increasing. These then moved into different spaces and led to the creation of different things and being. And I feel these energies are still further disintegrating and developing into many forms, of which we are not yet aware.

Thus we can never be sure how many forms of this ever expanding energy, and by energies I am referring to the Yoginis, actually exist in a given time and space. The “64 yogini” is a compilation of 64 separate zinc plates of the size 10x8inches put together as one single artwork with 10 editions.

Seema Kohli, Oct 2014