Carving is not simply a method of making sculptures for Nivedita Mishra, rather it is an articulation of a particular vision of the craft, says U Nair
For Odisha’s woman sculptor Nivedita Mishra, carving is nothing short of a meditative process. She is dedicated to carving and it connects her not just with the density and intensity of the granite blocks that she works upon but also the physicality and materiality of the smaller elements. Carving as sculptural practice has a deep, ancient, global history and this connection between a vision for modern sculpture and methods of making has been employed for centuries, millennia even, across the globe and that makes her work appeal deeply to the common man.
Inner spirit
“My connection with stone involves spirituality and reverence for the spirit that dwells within,” says Nivedita as she puts together her series Odyssey at the Lalit Kala Akademi in a small cameo and goes on to add, “ Stone is about people and their journeys. It has been on this earth much longer than man and for this reason it becomes our teacher. As a sculptor, I visualise what the stone wants to become and I strive to help it bloom. The granite blocks I use speak to me by their textures and grains. I look at the characteristics of the granite and then start carving.”
Articulating an emotion
But when you look at her polished cylindrical series, you know that carving is not simply a method of making sculpture for her; it is an articulation of a particular vision of the sculptor’s craft: it is also inextricably bound up with the articulation of an ‘aesthetic creed’ for what she sees as a physical process of carving through simplicity. Her large work symbolise a cave with apertures that capture the sensations of carving temple portals with chisels, hammers and mallets from hard, as well as resistant material. There is a fascination and critical attention to the processes and concept of ‘direct carving’.
“I find strength, faith, and dignity through my heritage, yet I also find these same things in other cultures — I derive inspiration and motivation from them as well,” says Nivedita as she runs her hands over her own carving of a triangular, templed cave.
Stones that speak
Her smaller clusters of work appear as if the earth has created itself into a cathedral of beautiful treasure stones in uncountable shapes and textures, each one stamped with its own rich familial and cultural history. No wonder so many of us pick up stones that speak to us and carry them home, placing them in special niches and treating them as our own personal discoveries. Each offers a puzzling mystery to explore; each tweaks our imagination, stimulates our curiosity and raises interesting questions. In the series that echo treasures and boxes and cavities, the set of four with lids are the finest in finesse and fervour.
In yet another pair, You and Me, we espie the grace of the cylindrical column that begins with the magic of the stone. We can imagine how she fills her studio with about many lifetimes worth of stones still waiting to be carved. It’s the potential of each piece that brings her great joy. Every carving block is filled with a silent beauty calling for attention; every stone an invitation for creative expression that echoes the infinitude of man and woman as individuals, consorts, friends walking their own paths sometimes crossing sometimes melding.
Moulding triangular bases
In the cluster of stones with triangular bases we see the earthiness and the balance of vision and vitality. “I’ve always been inspired by the capacity of a block of stone,” says Nivedita and adds, “I can create one-of-a-kind groups or single works and I like to create my own language when my hands touch each sculpture and work it from start to finish.”
Most sculptors in history, created a maquette of a composition in a malleable material, made any adjustments desired, then either copied it in stone themselves or had it done by a craftsperson. Many sculptors in history who have been credited with carving their stone works have never even picked up a chisel. The final stone version of their creations was carved by a craftsperson, while the artist directed like a symphony conductor. But here we see a direct reckoning of elements and journeys in the run of time. Nivedita’s series is about the odyssey of man that Lord Tennyson speaks of in his poem, The Brook: ‘For men may come and men may go/ But I go on forever.’