Artist Alka Bhrushundi talks about sustaining balance in nature. By Team Viva
It is essential to maintain a balance in duality, the way it exists everywhere — be it day and night, truth and false, success and failure. The exhibition, Santulan-The Balance by Alka Bhrushundi showcases an array of work depicting the ideal balance, where body and mind are in sync.
The Delhi-based artist believes that spirituality simplifies life, making one emotionally strong so that they can stand strong against opposing forces, especially during adverse situations. Her collection is divided into four categories — Chakras, Day and night, Black and white and Seasons.
The seven chakras or energy centers, balance the human body — each having its own colour, corresponding to the seven spectral colours representing their vibrational frequency. Imbalance in the chakras creates disproportion in our psychological, emotional and spiritual state of being. “It is crucial to maintain the perfect harmony amongst them in order to achieve an emotional balance,” shared Bhrushundi who found her inspiration from the book, Adbhut Brahmand: Chand-Sitaron Ke Rahasyamayi Duniya Ke Romanchak Jhalak. Following which she took a year to work on 66 paintings based on universe.
She uses circular shapes in each of her artwork to bring out the significance of the sun as a source of energy and balance in our lives. The circles also symbolises the cyclical nature of lives and thoughts, while the occasional use of triangles represent the concept of balance. “I have drawn the circle to personify the dynamic motion of planets and the sun, as nothing is constant in the universe. Also, one can’t imagine their very existence in the absence of a focal point, in this case, it is the sun.”
In some of her art work, the canvases are textured, bringing out the forms in high relief. The artist evokes, spheres and triangles that are gently evocative of this cosmos, calling upon their presence in a mystical yet subtle fashion. “I have used triangle to represent the focus that lies on one’s aspirations. As humans, we often tend to get stuck in between two conflicting thoughts. Thus, the base of the triangle portrays the contrast among these. It’s, therefore, necessary to stay focused on what we want to achieve in life. Our goal should be to a combination of the dual nature of the world.”
However, the most striking feature in all her paintings is the use of the reiki symbol. Said Bhrushundi: “It represents purification. The human mind has the tendency to have multiple series of thoughts. All we need is to purify them. It also symbolises the dominant power of the universe.”
The artist has used the symbol of Om and Shiva’s trishul to depict the monsoon season. “Each seasons brings with it a marked change in the surroundings. Along with the change the outside environment come across, our inner world too undergoes a divine transformation. I have tried to demonstrate the change of seasons and their co-relation with the sun. Circle in all these paintings represent sun which has similar elements that humans possesses.
The series of Day and night illustrates the relevance of balance in one’s life. “The endless cycle of day and night is an inevitable fact of life, unveiling disparity between life and death, light and darkness, consciousness and unconsciousness. Nobody on this planet is happy and sad at the same time. Thus, a balance of body and mental functions, with the day-night cycle, forms an essential aspect of life,” said Bhrushundi who uses a variety of colours and shades to depict the warmth of day.
Another set of paintings depicts the ubiquitous contradiction between the forces of nature, yet they complement each other. Said Bhrushundi: “We see opposing forces all around. The contrast of black and white with geometry in these paintings has been used to show the metaphorical relation between day and night, good and evil, creation and destruction. And to strike a balance between the two, I have used the neutral colour grey.”