CRANFORD, NJ — Cintia Malhotra, of Cranford, is a visual artist concentrating on photography.
Her work has been exhibited in galleries such as the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, the Atlantic Gallery and Plaxall Gallery, both in New York City – to name a few. Her photography has been published in Black & White Magazine, Catch Light and online magazine The AppWhisperer.
While she is most known for urban abstracts, she also creates softer, more poetic images. “A visual language of abstraction, it’s very comfortable to me,” she said.
Malhotra’s mother was a performing artist who told her, growing up, that creative people are never bored. As a child, most of Malhotra’s time was spent drawing and writing. She loved musical theater and her love of photography started when she was about 4 years old, watching detective television shows such as “Columbo” and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker.”
“There was always a scene where a detective would develop a print in the dark room to figure out a case,” Malhotra said. “As a child, I thought that was magic. I would take my mother’s head shots and dip them in water, in the kitchen sink. That was my imaginary dark room. I ruined so many photos, but she (her mother) was good about it.”
Malhotra was always surrounded by art in her family. “Everyone drew,” she said. “My oldest cousins were always drawing. It was customary in the family to show off what you were good at, as far as the arts were concerned. We’d have performance shows, a magic act. Or someone would draw a portrait of someone else. I still have a portrait a cousin drew of me in my early teens.”
She went to Kean University and studied fine art with a photography concentration and is currently teaching high school fine art and design in Maplewood.
One of the highlights of Malhotra’s career was being published in a few magazines. She said, “I thought to myself, this is something that I love to do and I could be successful at it.” She was also recognized among winners in the 2018 Photo Review Awards. “That meant a lot, too,” she said.
But her career is not without challenges. Malhotra is blind in one eye. She said, “Sometimes, that gets in the way with certain adventures I’d like to have with my photography. I don’t have the fine vision for travel photography.”
Nevertheless, Malhotra is “OK” with it. She said, “But it gets in my way now and then. It’s the universe’s joke. ‘Let’s make her an artist, but let’s make her half blind.’ I turned it around. The universe has a sense of humor. The things we love the most or love doing the most provide challenges. It’s how we grow.”
Malhotra is inspired by photographers Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind. She said they are part of a moment to which she feels very close.
“I first saw their work and felt less alone in my visual journey,” said Malhotra. “There are certain art movements that inspired me.”
She is also inspired by fine artist Lee Bontecou. “Her work really speaks to me,” Malhotra said. “Amazing stuff.”
For those who would like to be a photographer or artist, Malhotra advises investigating what you like. She said, “Experiment. Experiment. Experiment. Go out and look at art. If you feel stuck, there are so many resources online.”
In addition to art and photography, Malhotra likes to spend time with her family, which she feels is important. She also enjoys going to galleries and museums in New York City and finding local live music to enjoy. “It’s good for the soul,” she said.
To learn more about Malhotra, visit: https://i2pixel.wordpress.com/.
Photos Courtesy of Cintia Malhotra
