Meet Bristol artist and RWA Marketing Manager, Hemali Modha
I arrived in Bristol in the mid-90s after a year long art residency in Spain. The idea was to hang out in Bristol for a while before heading to London to resume work as a Lecturer in Art and continue practicing art. I got to Bristol and never left. I fell in love with the energy and vibe, the café culture felt so bohemian and not that different to that of Spain. I describe Bristol as a collection of closely packed villages with each district having its own distinct character and flavour. You are never short of things to do, places to go and people to see. I feel incredibly lucky to be living in a city that is so vibrant and rich in art and culture.
I’ve worked in so many different fields – all of which I’ve loved and learnt from. I’ve worked in the newsroom at the BBC, lectured in Art design, I got involved with websites and web development in its infancy and went on to head up the web department of a design agency before setting up one of my own. In 2019, I closed the doors of my women’s clothing boutique Amulet after 10 years. It had been the perfect business to run while I brought up my children but I had a strong desire to get back to creating art. I’m lucky to have a studio in my garden which means that I don’t have far to go when inspiration strikes. When the opportunity at the RWA came along it felt like a dream job where I could combine my experience in business, and digital communications with my knowledge of and passion for the arts.
My natural perfume brand, Jones and Modha was several years in development before we launched it in 2020. I set it up with my friend Catrin who is one-half of Papadeli, located on Alma Road. We both found we couldn’t tolerate commercial, synthetic perfumes after having children. Our search for more natural alternatives revealed that the beauty industry use of the word ‘natural’ was often quite misleading. With little success in finding a truly natural alternative on the market, we decided to create our own. Sadly, the price of the raw natural ingredients in our perfume has gone up exponentially, which means that once this batch has run out, we’ll have to pause production until prices stabilise again.
At the RWA I’m busy with the 170th Annual Open Exhibition and the Secret Postcard Auction. Both are major highlights in the RWA calendar. We received a record-breaking number of entries in this year’s Annual Open and over 600 pieces will be displayed in our galleries. The Secret Postcard Auction is a fun and exciting fundraiser for the RWA and launches on 28 October. Last year we had work sent in by Sir Frank Bowling RA, Eileen Cooper RA, Gilbert & George RA, David Remfry RA and Maggie Hambling to name but a few. As the name suggests the artist behind the work is not revealed and all work is available online to receive bids. It’s very exciting watching the bidding towards the end as savvy art collectors try and outbid one another in the hope of owning a great work of art. It’s a brilliant way to support the RWA while at the same time picking up a fabulous piece of art so it’s a win-win.
Being so busy at work has meant there’s been less time in the studio recently but I’m finding moments to work on an exciting commission piece for a new collector. After that, I’ll be concentrating on getting work ready for the North Bristol Arts trail at the end of November. It’s my favourite trail where I get to exhibit on my home turf.
I’ve recently discovered Audible and am on a second listen of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s a fascinating book around the premise that humans were built to run, we’ve just forgotten how. I’m re-listening to it in the hope I’ll get my running mojo back.
If I could have dinner with anyone from any era, it would be Georgia O’Keeffe, Helen Frankenthaler, Angela Carter, and Tracy Emin. I admire all these women for being trailblazers, walking their own paths and not being dissuaded by their critics.
My philosophy in life is: be kind, be generous and believe that anything is possible when you put your focus and energy into it.
