The ongoing group show at Vadehra Art Gallery brings out some interesting chronicles by group of artists using some out of the box mediums and themes. Ila Sankrityayan checks out
If you are in a mood to churn out old magical stories to fill up mundane days of life than art exhibition, At the turn of a page can be a good option. The quirky art pieces will make you see everyday situation in a new shade of light. Whether you look at Shrimanti Saha’s drawings that seems like a depiction of mythological tales or Treibor Mawlong’s woodcut prints revealing Khasi Folktales of Shillong. In each of the art works you will find a thin line of difference between reality and fantasy. For example Bakula Nayak’s works inspired from children’s book illustrations on vintage paper or videos foretelling the themes of innocence, greed and childhood created by london based artist Paul Bill Baritt. And to add on are Renuka Rajiv’s obsession with supple materials like coffee, ink and thread that are well highlighted in the mono-prints, zines, and drawings. Thus all of them well convey the primacy of pure feeling in creating art.
While decoding each of the art works several layers have to be removed and it appears like you are turning pages of a book to know what’s next. For instance a woodcut print by Shillong based artist Treibor Mawlong called The Journey as the title suggest it depict a man travelling despite of heavy storms and natural disturbances. So in general if shows a journey of a man but if you analyse deeply it’s the journey of life passing through all hurdles and tough situations. This work well reveals the real life situation or struggle of Mawlong. “The turning point or crisis, I don’t know what to call it, of my inclination towards art or a scope with the field started when my twelve exam results came out and I didn’t perform well according to the marks. like many others I thought will try out engineering or something but was feeling low with the marks. This again has frustrated me more than that I don’t know what to do next. And the answer was what I am doing today.”
For last three years Treibor is working on Khasi Folktales. About 21 woodcuts prints and few panels from two Khasi folktales are on display in the exhibition at Vadehra Art Gallery. The two folktales on display are U Ramhah and U Adadak, both are stories of strong men each with a different quality.
“When I got a call from Shivangi Singh about the show she briefly talk about the idea. It sounds very interesting. She had seen some images of my works. At first I didn't know which work to display for the show. I was working on the woodcuts then. There are images of memories from the daily surroundings of people from different walk of life. So the woodcuts and frames from the Khasi folklore graphic narrative is on for display,” shares the artist.
Further Mawlong reveals about the Khasi community and why the works are so deeply influenced by their folk tales. “Every community and cultures have their own stories explaining the creation and nature of this earth. The Khasis also have such stories which are oral in tradition. The stories have been referred by many artist and writers. I am also interested in the nature the stories are constructed especially when they are associated with the real space such as hills, rivers, stones et al. The stories teach certain lessons of how to deal life. I grew up listening to these stories. To me they are very real. The images that I saw in these stories just remain in my head as there were no visuals or illustrations that I can look to during that time. While making prints there are certain steps to follow. I always use a diary which for recording ideas or taking reference. The wood cut prints are a result from observations and memories that was roughly done in the sketchbook. I usually do a study before going to the final execution where I will read the text, try to find the composition scheme that can complement the story. I would separate sentences from the main story and create the drawings accordingly or sometime after reading the story I will get the image in my mind and then start drawing and then arranging the words. I have to relook and rearrange things till I feel there is a relationship between the text and images.”
A similar concept of telling story though in her own style and medium has been expressed by artist Bakula Nayak. By using material like children’s book illustrations, long lost letters, legal documents, and bill receipts she comes out with alluring art pieces on vintage papers. In one of her work she develops a story around a postcard that was about a couple going on a trip and then inviting their friends to lunch soon thereafter. The place they were visiting Chartres has a famous tourist spot — a church. “I am a voyeuristic story teller — I love living in other people’s lives. Reality constricts me and I am generally not in sync with it. I have a background tape that I play in my mind when my reality does not interest me. I swear I am not crazy but I love my background tapes. They can transport me to any place I want, anytime. Collecting vintage paper is a passion I have had for years. I am excited about them and their history and am always surprised when people don’t have the same amount of excitement. My illustrations are an attempt to give a new life to these forgotten pieces. Aged beautifully, they form the perfect canvas to interpret the reality of my world, an unfinished inventory of my day dreaming, my love for all things vintage and rejects my insane desire for romance, aesthetics, poetics and seduction in everything,” she says with enthusiasm.
Nayak adds about the technique, “I pick the papers I want to use first. I have a huge collection of legal papers, bills, poetry pages, letters. And each time I go through them something different strikes me. I love postcards and handwriting and am drawn towards it. I then create my story from the vintage paper — they usually have something written or have an address. Sometimes, I even look up the people online to see if I can get any info on them. I imagine my story and then start with the composition. I start with what I think needs to be the hero of my piece and then add the accompanying elements. Then I start inking it and adjust the composition as I deem fit. I use watercolour in the end. I like using watercolours because it allows texture of the paper to seep through. I don’t really plan on anything and just go with the flow.”
Baroda-based artist Shrimati Saha’s drawings takes inspiration from a range of sources like history, mythology, science fiction, natural history, miniatures, personal experiences et al. This leads to the creation of multifaceted layered narratives, with the prime concern being the depiction of a story in each work, which gradually reveals itself as the eye moves through the whole work. “Mythology is an area which has always inspired me, mainly because of the surreal nature of the stories and I merge it with narratives from other areas like science fiction, history et al. for example one of the works is based on the story of the Churning of the Ocean while another is sourced from the story of Shakti Peeth,” explains the artist in detail about the concept.
There are about three works on display — two large scale drawings and a small work using materials like pencil drawing, watercolour, collages, pigment colour on paper. The overall work gain a sense of abstraction from a distance, while a closer look reveals the images more clearly to the eye. Saha says, “Each of my work is very research oriented and is driven by the content in them. I usually read from a range of sources to develop a story in my mind; simultaneously collect images, draw from various sources in my sketchbook, make paper cut outs, collages et al. A lot of preparation and experiments with drawing and composition goes into making each work, but again while drawing and integrating everything on the paper in the final work, a lot of improvisation also happens.”
Artist Renuka Rajiv showcases nine drawings and twelve monoprints with predominantly black, brown and grey tones. “I don’t have a favourite technique but I am biased towards line drawing. I also try not to work in one way for too long, so I like to switch between mediums when one begins to feel less productive. In relation to choice of materials it is a trial and error process, and at certain times certain materials or techniques seem to allow me to play and express better. They are not deliberate till they feel like they could take the work somewhere, and I often pick up something and give it a shot,” concludes Rajiv.