Artist Seema Kolhi will showcase her installation of videos and paintings at the forthcoming Venice Biennale. She briefs Shrabasti Mallik about the artworks which will deal with the subjects of time and power
There are artists who find their inspiration in unconventional objects and places. Some find it in rooftops and in objects of daily use while some find it in the intangible aspects of nature. Artist Seema Kohli belongs to the latter category. Her body of work is synonymous with the ultimate power, shakti, which she believes originates in nature and also in the womb. It is the one force that drives the entire human race and everything related to it, especially time. So when Kohli was invited to participate in an art event based on the themes she works with, she was more than glad to come aboard. Personal Structures 2015 at the forthcoming Venice Biennale will be the artist’s next stop. The philosophical theme, Time-Space-Existence, resonates perfectly in how she conceptualises her artworks, which involve performances, videos, paintings, sculptures and installations.
“The theme is connected to the basic ideas of time, space and energy. Space in contained in time and time is contained in energy,” said the artist and explained that time as a single entity is stagnant. It is only under the influence of power that it moves on, she added. As far as her works are concerned, “time is an intriguing factor.”
Her installation at the Biennale, which will begin from May 8, will feature two videos and two “scrolls” of her paintings. All of them are a symbol of her unending quest to seek the various possibilities that she can explore with intangible subjects. Of the two videos, shot in 2009, Swayamsiddha depicts the interrelation between time and energy.
The artist will use the walls and the surface of the ground as the projection screen. Swayamsiddha will be projected on the floor, inside a place enclosed by rocks. “The enclosure bordered with rocks will be designed to signify an abstract replica of the womb,” she pointed out. The videos will be accompanied by Vedic chants to add to the experience.
Undying Dance of light, the second video, portrays a human being’s evolution process. According to Kohli, the soul constantly keeps changing bodies and is ever-evolving. “Only the existence of the human body is true and nothing else is real. But still we spend our entire lives seeking for the truth,” she said. The idea originated in Varanasi, the place where people prefer to have their last rites performed. “The marching of the dead body on bamboo beds, wrapped in saffron garb through the winding lanes to the ghats interested me,” said the artist who experienced this as a place of energy.
The two videos were shot in “spaces” which she felt were highly powerful. “These spaces are usually temple sides or historic places where at some point in time some powerful force prevailed. These are places which stir your sixth sense, that make you feel at peace. I try to imbibe the power or force and produce that in the video,” explained Kohli.
One of Kolhi’s signature works is the Golden Womb, which is a symbol of the inherent power that resides in a woman. “Shakti,” she said, “is now called by different names but at the end it all comes down to the basic fact that it is nature orprakriti from where we are sourcing power.” Kolhi will present Rediscovery of the Golden Womb at Personal Structures because “the subject connects to the theme of existence.
The second painting titled Storm In a Tea Cup will, however, is very interesting. Through the piece the artist tries to explore the episode of Samudra Manthan in a tea cup. “I will try to portray it in a different light. There are so many thoughts and topics that are discussed over a cup of tea that I could not resist the opportunity to look into the ways it resembles Samudra Manthan. There are many valuable ideas that come up due to the churning of our mind during conversations,” she said.
The Biennale at the Venice Plazzo Bembo will conclude on November 22.