In 1983, Mata Kamaleshwari, also known as Ammaji, experienced a spontaneous awakening that set her on a lifelong quest to uncover the truth she encountered that day. This journey led her to discover Indian non-dual philosophy at the age of 26. After decades of study and deep immersion in the culture, Mataji was honoured with the name and title of Mata Kamaleshwari, marking a profound connection with India and its unique spirituality.

Mataji's life has been shaped by a long history of cPTSD, chronic health challenges, and learning to live with autoimmune conditions. These experiences have cultivated a humble, heartfelt love for the human condition and a deep desire to serve humanity through creativity and spirituality. A naturally artistic child, Mataji went on to study art and design on a scholarship in the early ’90s in Central Victoria, Australia.

Mataji, sometimes referred to as Ammaji, believes that our purpose in life is to attain self-knowledge, and she views art as a powerful means of expressing and sharing this wisdom, even to the point of awakening. She emphasises that we must anchor ourselves in the Self and then share our gifts in service to humanity, which she sees as the underlying purpose of all beings.

“Art is a wonderful avenue for the expression of humanity, our inner and outer struggles and triumphs, and a source of upliftment. At its best, it has the power to awaken.” —Mataji

Due to difficult life circumstances, including a break in her art career of over a decade, Mataji has grown and evolved both as an artist and as a person. She devoted herself to spiritual life and study, making it her life’s focus to achieve self-knowledge.

The global pandemic and severe health issues have brought Mataji’s focus back to her art, merging her spiritual and artistic worlds. Her work now reflects an almost naïve, untrammelled childlike reverence for colour, with a love of line and a raw approach to materials and techniques. There’s an honesty and transparency in her art that reveals her true self, embracing imperfection and the organic nature of line, rendering, and perspective without overthinking.

Mataji’s art captures the simplicity and complexity of awakening, enlightenment, and philosophy. It celebrates everything from the beauty of the world around us to the awe-inspiring depths of the great lake of consciousness that lies within.