Artists Madan lal and Shirley Siegal convey the message of convergence of two cultures for a better tomorrow, says Kritika Dua
A piece of art can make a difference to women empowerment. We believe so, as there are several examples of it in history. The iconic 1964 painting by Norman Rockwell, an American illustrator depicted Ruby Bridges, a six-year-old African American girl being escorted to an all-white public school in New Orleans by four US marshals amidst signs of protest.
In 2011, this painting was displayed in the White House and former President Barack Obama met the subject, Ruby Bridges, at age 56. He said that this art really affected him and he hoped that it would bring a change.
The Plate and The Palette is a travelling art exhibition aimed at bringing a change through women empowerment. What makes it even more special is that it’s an artistic cooperation between two artists from India and Israel — Madan lal and Shirley Siegal.
What makes the entire exhibit special is that there is a table, with a table cloth on which are placed plates and cutlery — all of which play the role of a canvas for the artist. The silk table linen has a beautiful array of pop colours painted by lal. “The table cloth has symbols of Hindu mythology — goddess Kamadhenu and Radha, swan and parrot (vahan of goddess Saraswati and god Brahma), god Vishnu and Krishna, lotus, mother nature and yogi.”
The plates have portraits of women beautifully created by Siegal. Portraits of women achievers — Nechama Spiegel Novak – first woman pilot in Israeli airline; Mariam Fagih-Imani – diplomat preaching for peace and Malala Yousafzai – Nobel Prize winner can be seen. The cutlery on the other hand had few lines of Hebrew and Persian painted on it.
Along with portraits of women achievers there are others too — a waitress from Tel Aviv, an Indian tribal dancer, a worker from Africa and a tour guide from Jerusalem. “I am not trying to show spectacular women, its us. We are the women that will bring the change if we decide so,” said Siegal.
The exhibition also had the five essential elements of life – earth, water, fire, air and space amalgamated in the artwork.
lal in his works has portrayed food as the sixth element that sustains the human body and has created sculptures using different food grains with geometrical shapes. Talking about it, lal said, “After I painted the tablecloth and Siegal had worked on plates and cutlery. There was something missing from the dinner table which was food. Without food, there is no survival and it is humans who have created the materialistic world. For the first time, I have worked on sculptures, used various food grains such as wheat, mustard seeds, sprouted moong, beans, peanuts, seeds et al and moulded them into geometric shapes.” He has taken inspiration from his hometown Punjab, which is known for its agriculture and Chandigarh for the geometric shapes.
On artistic collaboration, Siegal said, “lal and I met at an International art residency in Macedonia a year back. We decided to work together because our artwork are so different from each other. We both love colours — his art comes from the Eastern school of art while my art comes from the Western school of art. We thought of collaborating and came to a conclusion that women in both the countries face similar issues. Why not bring women to sit together and solve these problems from a feminine point of view (at a dining table)IJ That’s how we have brought two ancients cultures together to solve the problems.”
She divulged details on the choice of seven plates, a holy number in various religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam. One of the cutlery pieces was placed on a mirror for a reason. “The cutlery is presented on a mirror as we are talking of a discussion which always has two point of views.”
There is a portrait of a woman with her hair covered that stands out from the rest. “I am not telling you what religion she comes from but most religions ask women to cover their hair.” Certainly, a clever way to represent that women of all religions, face similar challenges. Each portrait is created from several photographs and different elements from each were taken to to create it.
The Plate and The Palette exhibition is the result of the prolonged dedication of a year and the artists conversed every day digitally and discussed the day’s work. It was after Siegel flew down to Chandigarh where the exhibition was displayed first that they could see the splendid manner in which their artwork complemented each other.
lal noted that his colour palette is influenced by the celebration of life. “There is a feeling of celebration attached to a family feast in our country and abroad (Thanksgiving Day).” A dinner table where women of India and Israel come together to bring a change towards a better future will indeed be an occasion of celebration, we believe.
“The dinner table is usually connected to women preparing food and bringing the family together but it is also a place of negotiation. A perfect place to bring two cultures together,” added Siegal.
Water was incorporated through a 3D art piece which depicted water conservation. The exhibit also had seven agricultural products which are grown in Israel — grapes, dates, figs, pomegranate, bread (made of wheat and barley) and olives.
Said Siegal, “Indian people are warm, hospitable, and welcoming — all of which are crucial to bring the cultures together. Indian women astonished me as In Israel we know nothing about India. The only thing we know about Indian women is the case of a Delhi girl who was raped on a bus. Coming here changed my notion of them as I met strong women who control their lives and are leaders. I will go back to my country with different views totally.”
They said that the challenges an artist comes across in their journey are plenty including creative and financial ones. lal said that the Indian government is not so supportive of the art community. There is a lack of good opportunities and platform for artists living in small towns.
The exhibition is on at the lalit Kala Akademi till November 6.