Iconic Ganesha: an Exploration

Journeys begin unannounced and so did mine with Ganesha as my vehicle of expression. Prior to 2001 I did smaller work and mostly etchings. Was raised with Bapi always teaching us even without aware that we were constantly learning from him whether he was painting for leisure or drawing up a plan for a forth coming, set to be put up. Our home was full of art and its happenings sometimes through practical sessions and a lot more through discussions. In 1991 that came to end after he passed on. There was an urgent need to connect to him although he was gone. I remember pulling down his books and doing a lot of still life paintings at this time. In 1996 I got married and moved to Singapore. I was told to rest for a year before I started on work of any sort. I did not mind it and with a non-stop education for 23 years of my life it felt like a well deserved break. My sweet husband, one day while returning from work got me the most humble form of art supplies. I did not have the heart to tell him due to Bapi’s supplies, I had never used such cheap art material even for my school work. He gradually realised that. In 2001 I was in Oregon, U.S. and suddenly found myself with endless material which he now bought for me and loads of time too. I started doing canvas after canvas.

“Why Ganesha?” you may ask. Simply because, I was enthused enough, to do Ganesha’s. I can’t even remember why. When I came back to Singapore I started selling a lot of Ganesha’s and loads of them commissions for various people. It seemed to have a favour with most Indians. I started looking at various paintings of Hussain’s and started using his Ganesha’s as inspiration. Gajanan Dandekar, with whom I did do a workshop when I went to Mumbai, is also a follower of Hussains’ style. While I explored the feminine form and steadfastly developed my own style I continued my study of Lambodara.

In Indian modern art one finds that since the mid 1900’s lot of artists would have indulged at least once in their career on this God. Is it because it’s so hugely woven in our psyches through various myths and stories that revolve around this cute child like figure. Does he seem more approachable because of his divine innocence? I will just throw light on some of these through my exploration. The sacred texts give a variety of stories narrating the sequence of Ganesha's birth. The most popular being the one mentioning that Ganesha was created by Goddess Parvati as a guardian to her privacy. We all know how she created him from the sandalwood paste she rubbed of her body. She called him her son and asked him to guard her door and soon enough Shiva came and was obstructed entry into his own abode by this boy who claimed to be Uma’s son. We know how the Lord and his rage resulted in the boy having an elephant head. To bestow respect on her son who now had an elephant head Shiva named him “Ganesha”, the word Ganesha is made up of gana (followers of Shiva) and isha (lord), thus Shiva appointed him the lord of his ganas.

One finds a lot of symbolism attached to each physical attribute of this Deity. According to the strict rules of Hindu iconography, Ganesha figures with only two hands are a taboo. Hence, Ganesha figures are most commonly seen with four hands which signify their divinity. Some figures may be seen with six, some with eight, some with ten, some with twelve and some with fourteen hands, each hand carrying a symbol which differs from the symbols in other hands, there being about fifty seven symbols in all, according to the findings of research scholars. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.

An intriguing aspect of Ganesha's iconography is his broken tusk, leading to the appellation Ekdanta, Ek meaning one and danta meaning teeth. It carries an interesting legend behind it: When Parashurama one of Shiva's favorite disciples, came to visit him, he found Ganesha guarding Shiva's inner apartments. His father being asleep, Ganesha opposed Parshurama's entry. Parashurama nevertheless tried to urge his way, and the parties came to blows. Ganesha had at first the advantage, seizing Parashurama in his trunk, and giving him a twirl that left him sick and senseless; on recovering, Parashurama threw his axe at Ganesha, who recognizing it as his father's weapon (Shiva having given it to Parashurama) received it with all humility upon one of his tusks, which it immediately severed, and hence Ganesha has but one tusk.

A different legend narrates that Ganesha was asked to scribe down the epic of Mahabharata, dictated to him by its author, sage Vyasa. Taking into note the enormity and significance of the task, Ganesha realized the inadequacy of any ordinary 'pen' to undertake the task. He thus broke one of his own tusks and made a pen out of it. The lesson offered here is that no sacrifice is big enough in the pursuit of knowledge.

There seems to be a pattern in the creation of this Lord and the iconography relating to him. Note the contradictions in his very being. He is The Lord of ganas but has a body not all Human. He is the God of knowledge and is even invoked for any great work of art and yet when it comes to warfare he seems to be victorious there too. In each of his eight incarnations he was fighting a major demon be it a demon of anger, jealousy or greed. You would not normally associate the heroism of warfare to a childlike, food happy diety. Yet his very being is out of duality. He is born out of Shiva and Shakti. He is born out of the basis of male and female symbols of Hindisum. Yet at a deeper meaning what is Shiva and Shakti. Why are they seen in union for the protection of the universe. They are just the principles addressing the various tatva’s in the human being. To quote, Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik  “When the mind behaves like Shiva, the hermit, and shuns all things worldly; the world around behaves like Kali and Gauri, demanding attention. When the mind behaves like Vishnu, the householder; the world around becomes like Lakshmi, Sita and Radha and Rukmini and Satyabhama, a source of joy as well as a responsibility to bear. Unfortunately, most of the time, the mind behaves like Brahma – seeking control and dominion over the world around. So the Goddess turns into Shatarupa, the nymph, who cannot be captured. Brahma tries to catch her but fails. When he stops and sits and pays attention carefully, Shatarupa transforms into Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, and enables his transformation into Shiva or Vishnu.”

Yet coming back to iconography within Ganesha one finds a polarity even in his names. The names Vighnesha and Vighneshvara  refers to his primary function in Hindu theology as the master of obstacles (vighna), and he is the remover as well.

His Vahana although primarily has been the mouse in some avataar’s like Vikata, and the Vighnaraja he uses a peacock and a snake respectively. The mouse  becomes the embodiment of the intellect. It is able to slip unobserved or without our knowledge into places which we would have not thought it possible to penetrate. In doing this it is hardly concerned whether it is seeking virtue or vice. The mouse thus represents our wandering, wayward mind, lured to undesirable or corrupting grounds. By showing the mouse paying subservience to Lord Ganesha it is implied that the intellect has been tamed through Ganesha's power of discrimination. At a recent temple visit I overheard a Chinese guide explain to the tourists that the mouse was also a symbol of the “ego”. The Lord Ganesha, the huge elephant tusked God rides on a small mouse. This is to signify how he keeps his foot over the ego and has complete control over it. For me this seemed a logical explanation given the importance associated with this first child of Shiva and Shakti.

According to Kundalini yoga, Ganesha resides in the first chakra, called Muladhara (mūlādhāra). Mula means "original, main"; adhara means "base, foundation". The muladhara chakra is the principle on which the manifestation or outward expansion of primordial Divine Force rests. This association is also attested to in the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Ganesha holds, supports and guides all other chakras, thereby "governing the forces that propel the wheel of life". Personally I have extended the travelling of the consciousness from the muladhara to the top chakra, Sahasrara, in the form of a conch shell headed Lord with the AUM as the ear to the universal happenings.

Any exploration of Lord Ganesha cannot be concluded without a mention of the mystical syllable AUM. The sacred AUM is the most powerful Universal symbol of the divine presence in Hindu thought. It is said to be the first cosmic sound with which creation came into being. Artists have often taken liberty with this manifestation to give it their own touch of obeisance.  I have done it before and I am about to do it again in my forth coming exhibition.

 Ganesha is thus the ONLY god to be associated in a "physical" sense with the primordial sacred sound AUM, a telling reminder of his supreme position in the Hindu pantheon. The number “3” has also symbolically represents “AUM”. The symbol of Aum consists of three curves standing for the three states of consciousness. The sound Aum also has three sounds together. The Mandukya Upanishad explains this in great detail. Hence “Omkara”, the one whose body denotes the shape of AUM is the embodiment of the supreme consciousness.

Recently I was curated for “The Global Icon: Ganesha in Fine Art” by Vidhya Gnana Couresan, for the exhibition. I was returning to this deity after a good few years of interval. I started rethinking my older work and I have hence come up with a series of four paintings of which three are bound within heavy symbolism. Over here you will find the Cubic Vinayaka, where I have taken the liberties to interpret the Lord and Cubism to my personal understanding. I have used a lot of Picasso’s palette   for expression as well. Yet my figure remains inspired by Hussain once again. The moon I choose to give a twist with the yin yang, bringing the female and male principle, within the canvas as to me Ganesha is the result of this unison.  

 

Resources:

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/numbers.asp

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/ganesha/

http://www.lordganesha.co.za/ReligiousContent/Iconography.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha

Art Walk at the Wessex Village

Over the Weekend the artists at the Wessex village 14 of them had thrown open their doors to let us have a slice of their creative lives. For many this is their studio space and their living space. I will try to write about a few that caught my fancy as well as my limited time.

The first space we stopped was of Frances Alleblas. A Dutch artist from Rotterdam who has spent some time in Bali and Hawaii and has now made Singapore her home since 2002.Her work consists of charcoal and pencil drawings, prints and watercolours of different sizes. Her work has an elusive dream like quality and she seems to be drawing from different literary and allegorical associations and hence uses woven symbolism.  Personally loved her close crops of faces and the lovely layering done; almost a psychological study of the subject be it an animal or a character.

The next stop was walking into an art institution, the Inspri Fine Art, where father, mother and daughter all practice and sell the art they are comfortable with. Chin Oi Tow, an art teacher and a former art critic for The Straits Times, husband to the artist Chin Mui Siang, and father to the youngest artist at home, Chen Xing. The entire home has all their art spread out in different rooms. While Oi Tow’s work is more about portraits of personalities or animals, Mui Siang’s is beautiful water colours which she says she learnt from her husband. Chen Xiang is actually a Neuroscientist by profession who discovered she is ambidextrous, when she started doing her intricate urban structures. They do rely a lot on the Wessex art walk to get the awareness they need for their art. If you make an appointment with them you can actually visit them any time of the year.

Third stop was a nice colourful stop at Rasha Eleyan’s home. She is currently exploring the pernakan tiles in her own bold style. She also had miniature tile painting as the activity for her visitors. A great way, to engage kids. While my son did take an interest for a bit, he was then more interested in playing with her son Ali, who happened to be almost the same age. Rasha and I too found out that we were soon to exhibit together at an upcoming exhibition. More about that, in another, blog post. Stay tuned is all I can say now. Rasha uses the Wessex more as her living space and has a studio in Lower Delta. 

It was a pleasure stopping at my friend Joyce Loo’s space. Joyce is a ceramic artist and until recently ran the viridian Art House. Currently she is happy creating without having to worry about the hurdles of managing a gallery space. Her work especially just outside her home has an installation feel to it. Her latest work with wine bottles seemed such a practical idea for a gift too. Do check her work out especially her ant installation.

If you are looking for lively colourful art you need to check out Patricia Cabaleiro’s modern colourful abstract canvases. She is currently collaborating with the German artist Britta Hagemann and the merger of their interpretations has a slight psychedelic feel to it. 

D’ArtStudio houses the artist Chye’s work. His advertising background spills on the extensive huge scenes he plots on his canvas. The detailed scene of Chinatown and the down memory lane look at the festive scene there seems a little macabre in his black and white interpretation. His figurative work he told me comes from memory of working in advertising and the varied image bank he seems to have collected. The work that really caught my attention was the lovely curtain to separate the kitchen from the living/exhibiting area. We had a nice discussion of colour choices and what work he feels reflects the inner artist. I confessed being a little stuck with black grey and white with that splash of red. He laughed and pointed how he was doing the same. 

On the whole it seemed nice to walk in and see how other artists like myself were living in their homes and what they were doing to get their work noticed out there. I wish I had visited prior to the event and had a chance to write this for them as a pre-event coverage as they could surely use some advertising.

By the way if you are there, don’t miss the historic Colbar in the corner. The food is local and the cheapest option in the vicinity, and don’t miss their curries. Yes yes, we artist love our food. Do take a look at the images and if you need links to these artists just Google them. They all do have websites.

Thinker or Volatile Being

As I observe more artwork and artists in general, a thought comes to mind, the artist as a volatile person or the artist as a thinker.

I have had the good fortune to meet many established artists; they all are happy beings with a celebrative attitude towards their life and society. That having been said, their art is often of a different disposition from their behaviour. Yes their art is reflective and often a comment on society.

When one reads the Greek philosophers, one definitely understands that the artist is a recorder of their times. As Aristotle points out, there is a distinction between art and history. While history just records things as it happens, art has the liberty to depict in the universal character, hence art has an elevated role as compared to history.

Now with the above I think the responsibility on the artist is huge as they, then, according to Aristotle are elevated recorders. Then the question of personal biases would creep in and yet if one studies a period, we tend to see a general emergence and that probably constitutes the psyche of the times, be it in style or subject.

My personal understanding is that my preference is with the artist as a thinker or a philosopher who is almost removed from the subject to be fair to its depiction. I cannot find myself in empathy with an artist as a volatile person yet their art unable to express their state of mind. That seems to be an unresolved being. They need to meditate more on process and expression of their thoughts as an unresolved being, creates art the time period can’t identify with.

A thinker hence cannot find himself replicating his own work or anyone else’s as that has already been done and explored. The need to say it differently challenges the creative mind and hence gets the juices flowing. The constant mingling of thought and process is what gives birth to what we call “ART”. My vote is hence for artist as a thinker, where all the volatile thoughts are being expressed and not just implied in personality. 

All The World has been Staged at Art Stage

It is the Art fair of Fairs and it graces Singapore for the fourth time. Not to be mixed with other art shows that market themselves as inexpensive, Art Stage Singapore is about challenging the visual imagination. The galleries bring their best and the curators bring on their ultimate curatorial charm here.

While I am in the mood for applauding the art presented which was a treat to the senses(and yes tactile, visual, auditory, however you must have a taste, to let your imagination flow),  let me just give a big hand to the team for putting such a well presented art fair. The free tours and the guides who are not just well informed but it’s their passion for the arts that beams through in the talks.

It’s on today and tomorrow and I do suggest you take a season pass so you can go back again to complete what you cannot finish admiring in a day.

While as an artist I am always happy to be in a creative space, there of course are some that emerge as favourites. I was drawn to the work of Adam Neate presented by Elms Lesters Painting room. I had a chat with the gallery and it was a treat to be shown Adam’s early works and how the gallery actually found his work on the streets. Adam a self taught artist went through all the isms and movements, de-constructing the human body and mind in three dimensional art with his medium of cardboard and spray paints. This artist used to just leave his work on the road and his critics were the passer’s by. A Xmas gift, that Paul Jones, the gallery director received from his wife from e bay got them connected with Adam. They haven’t looked back since. Today they only carry Adam’s works. Neate, as we see him in his photographs looks calm his work brings out in inner turmoil of a thinking mind and of the time it lives in. This artist is only 35 and I am so glad he has been found by a gallery who believes in his work and growth and does not dictate on what he should create. His art work is mind boggling to say the least and he thinks in vivid colour. Here is to celebrating self taught artists and galleries who support them. Technique can be caught

but how to conceptualize and be original, I guess can never be taught or learnt.

 I do understand that, most of you reading this will be Indians and as such you are waiting to hear more about the art from the sub continent. Then not to be missed are Paresh Maity’s works as mentioned in the earlier article, presented by Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, India.

 Art Musings has its work curated by Bose Krishnamachari and some amazing sculptures presented along with photography art. Sanchit is back with Arun Ghose as the curator and they have come with huge beautiful canvases by Aplana Caur and Thota Vaikuntam amongst others. However if you are in for a treat and it’s very difficult to miss, is the Delhi Art Gallery with works of Raza, Souza, Tyeb Mehta, Ganesh Pyne, Anjoli Ila Menon, Sohan Qadri, George Keyt and M.F. Hussain to mention a few.

Below are some pictures that i have collected from the Art Stage. Do try to catch the Matisse Lithographs and Picasso’s. Please do go down and see it for yourself. Do wear comfortable shoes as your eyes and heart won’t tire but your feet will. Step out for coffee from the back at the tcc and rest your feet before you come back to get more for your soul. Mostly En Joy :D

Story of Our Lives - An Interview with Paresh Maity

The following is from a recently held interview with Paresh Maity in Singapore.

Joyotee: When one thinks of Paresh Maity, in mind comes beautiful angular women in unique close crops which spell Maity in every paper and canvas they are painted upon? When and how did you stumble upon this unique branding which is now your style?

 Paresh Maity: It was the winter of 1989. I had gone to Delhi for my first solo exhibition en route to Hyderabad, where I was supposed to enrol for my Masters. My first visit to Rajasthan happened at this time. It had a tremendous impact and shift in my creative process. For a Bengali, Rajasthan has a very romantic effect on the soul. I was a lad used to the greenery and waters of Bengal. Even my art was about the sceneries I was used to seeing and I was a landscape artist up until that point. The images formed from seeing Steve Mccurry’s Afghan girl and various images of a desert were now all real life in front of me. Colourful turbans of the men and attire of the women were now introduced to my work. For the first time my work started having figures in them. Then the movement towards the faces and through that came about the entire Encounter series. I was also primarily a water colour artist and incidentally the exhibition in Delhi was all sold out. Gallery Ganesha was very happy with these and even convinced me to stay back and do my Masters in Delhi. I did stay back but used to travel back and forth from Kolkata as I used to get home sick. This period also saw 9 solo exhibitions for me. I made my first investment in property in Chittaranjan Park. 


J: Those water colour boats that you left behind on paper, are they a certain link to your past?

PM: You know any other vehicle when stationary does not move. Yet the boat when anchored still has its rhythmic movement to the waves. It’s almost like it has its own existence separate from the direction of the boat man. I was born and raised in Tamluk, with water bodies all around me. I am a “joler pokka” (an insect of the water). Water colours were cheaper and easy to afford. Hence that became an automatic mode of expression, in my early career. I was 18, when we first got electricity in our village. We used to study and paint to the lights of the hurricane. You find that although my work is now very colourful, there are these elements from my past like the hurricane that, make their presence felt time and again on my canvas. These memories remain and form a part of who you are or your process. I can’t paint after 5 p.m. I paint all day but after 5, I go for my evening walk. I dislike the dark and hence don’t like the dreary winters of Europe or the U.S. and run away as fast as possible from those scenarios. 

J: So to relate back to my earlier question.....your installations seem to have a movement and yet when it comes to your paintings be it water or oil, one sees you have frozen on to this style that is recognisably yours.....so what can one expect to see different in this coming exhibition? (Excited and Bubbly at this question he starts....)  

PM: You know once we were having dinner in Mumbai with a lot of us artists and none other than F.N. Souza saw my “work” (kaaj, is the term that the Bengali artist uses refer to their artwork) and wanted to meet this Bengali boy who painted so differently. He was pleasantly surprised to see colourful work from a Kolkata art college boy. So happy was he that he made a portrait of me. This is the fourth year that I am coming back with my installations and if you remember that the first year was the Procession of the ants done with 50 motor bikes. I had gone with my local friend in Delhi, to help me with the purchase of these bullet motor bikes. The Sardar owner thought that I was crazy, which I am, but he could not for the life understand why I would need 50 bikes. I then explained I was going to dismantle them and create them into one body of work. I converted them into ants...In Tamluk we had mud houses when it rained the ants were all around us and such an integral part of lives....that same joler pokaa element he laughs and explains. The next year it was the boats and the hurricanes both an important part of growing up for me and an integral part of my psyche (as established in the earlier question). Last year, on public demand, I brought my water colour work but in large scale. They were huge water colours. This year I have brought the travelling element to my installation. The trunks which were an important element of travel as well as storage in our water laden lives, have been coloured with my unique memories and presented to you in “Story of Our Lives”. Recently I used this same style of work for 100 years of Indian cinema depicting those most popular moments, in Indian cinema from Raja Harishchandra to the current Bollywood blockbusters. This was presented in Nehru Centre in November. One can see my Canvases in my signature style in “Metamorphosis of Colours” at the Arts House. (Check end for details on exhibition). 


J: Your beret, your Fendi scarf they speak of not just a style which is Paresh Maity but also of an opulent India......do you identify with this new India? Shed some light on where you think India is going from here?  

PM: India has always been in the lead be it in art, movies, culture, food and it is only recently with the technology developments the focus is back on her and she is in the limelight. India has been an expert in all the fields and I am proud of the attention she is receiving now. Along with India I move too...I am part of this parade of people, the society and changing times and the culture. It is like Dali’s, “The Persistence of Memory”, parallel psyches.


J: Jayashree your wife is also a successful artist. Do you two actually discuss creative processes or mind blocks?  

PM: We do discuss a lot about our work and process....I give my opinion only when she asks for it. However my opinion is more in the form of a question. Like why did she chose a certain colour etc. She respects my opinion due to my strong and long formative years of academic training as well. In any creative process knowing when to stop is the key issue. You have to leave room for imagination. We travel and paint together. Our studios in Delhi are in different places far from each other but in Bangalore, where we do spend some months, our studios are in the same house.

J: While I was looking, I found a particular gallery carrying some of your photography prints. Is this something that you see as developing and that you will continue to pursue?  

PM: Photography has always been a hobby of mine. I still use film. I take lots of pictures and I still keep it at a hobby scale. My son who is a fashion photographer gets his passion from me. In fact when I go back from Singapore I will buy back my stock of film. 



 J: In this journey from Tamluk to here, how have you changed and what would you say is your biggest achievement and what has been your biggest loss along the way?

PM: My biggest achievement comes when people love and appreciate my work and derive joy from it. I have no loss as I am still the same Paresh inside, as I was years ago. When I go back to Tamluk people always keep telling me how all this name and fame has not changed who I really am. I am like a child, happy to be in nature. I have no vices and my only addictions are my work, yoga and my evening walks. I have to work every day – that is my insanity.

One of the world’s most collected artists, Paresh Maity, is going to have his second exhibition in Singapore – Metamorphosis of Colours at The Arts House. Preview on, the 13 January 2014, 6:30 to 9 p.m. by invitation only. On view, on the 14th January 2014, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. At the Art Stage from 16th to the 19th January 2014. Paresh is being presented by Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, India.

Impressions by Lakeer

While some of you sip your tea, I sip it with a deep sense of feeling content. Yes, as an artist it always feels nice to connect with another artist’s artwork. I do feel that from time to time......today more so. Lakeer has opened its Impressions, a group show at the Art Loft, above the Volvo showroom on Alexandra road. The Cocktail reception is this evening and the featured artists are, Pramod Kumar, Manoj Sakale, Hema Guha and Ram Chandra. While evenings have become a little difficult to manage, it was also my curiosity that brought me to the show before everyone else. The wall space for the display has the natural daylight and the spotlights letting you imagine how the works of art would feature in your private space as well. While Pramod Kumar’s water colours have a following on their own it was Manjokumar Sakale and Hema Guha’s work that left me very satiated. Ram Chandra’s works were colourful to say the least, and will have a home with the urban home maker who is looking for that right touch of ethnic. Manojkumar’s work is true to himself, its honest heart-felt work and whenever an artist is true to himself it’s not the technique or the skill that you marvel at but it’s the sheer joy to see that he/she has dared to be just that....true. When you see his work you can tell he is a rural raised person trying to trace the urban space or lack of it in the fast changing world. The one painting you will come back with is “Chess” and aerial view of the game and its players. The quiet games of chess the restless patience of the opponent’s move, the happy moment spent playing with a dear one; so many themes all covered in the simple act of chess and then carefully engraved as the metaphor of the endless chess board of life. (see attached image....but please go see the original work as well). Hema Guha, an artist who is now exploring the multimedia has a impressive resume, but more than that what impresses me is her quirky work. She dares to be different. Lakeer has brought in a lot of her woodcut work and the details, in these are amazing. The semi folk observation with figures in sometimes a huddled group patterns, evolve all to tell a story. A story that does not spring upon the viewer but subtly remains on her paper and yet creates a lasting impression be it through the strong colours she uses or the lack of any colour at all in the rest of the sheet. Precision and symmetry are something she makes look simple and childlike and beautifully lasting in the mind’s eye. As an artist I am allowed to be partial but I must tell you that normally though I do not speak much of water colour artists, Pramod Kumar’s Benares series, are a pleasure to watch. There are two especially with their technique that reminded me of Chinese water colour paintings......yes go see it and let me know if you felt the same way. Yes I will go back to my tea while you prepare this evening to go and check out the art over your glass of wine.

All The World's A Stage

Alpana Vij is an Indian artist and has been based in Singapore since 2004. She has shown her work at various solo and group shows in Singapore. The first time I met her was at an art jam held at a gallery and the work was all to be sold in a silent auction for a cause. I was drawn to her work, as she had this quiet and collected way of working that was intriguing. Soon after I started following her work and I liked these up close and personal portraits that she has presented in her current exhibition, “All The World’s A Stage” happening now at the John Erdos Gallery till the 20th of September. I asked her a little about her collection and this is what Alpana shared with me. “Are we just actors playing a role on the stage of life? Who are we beneath the masks we wear? Painting for me is the search for significance and truth that lies veiled beneath the surface. The search for a place where the true self exists… has always existed. In these large format expressive portraits, through an interplay, of strong light and shadow and a limited palette, I strive to remove all that is extraneous and focus essentially on bringing out the intrinsic character of the subject. And something tells me, that by seeking the true nature of the subjects I paint, I will, in the process, find my own.” While this connection to the primordial feeling of searching the self within the work of art seems to be something we see in so many artists, I specially connected to how she finds a primitive side to her subjects which almost makes them timeless. Yes, primitive and raw with their thick lips and she emphasizes the same with the earthy tones that she has presented them on canvas. She tells me, “These portraits are an attempt at exploring the true nature of the subjects. Through an interplay of strong light and shadow and a limited palette, I strive to remove all that is extraneous and focus essentially on bringing out the intrinsic character of the subject.” She has hugely succeeded in her attempt to do so as the opening night saw a lot of red dots on the wall. This is an artist one must keep their eye on as her sense of style also is alluring thanks to her past of having worked in advertising and design. This graduate from College of Art, New Delhi has now however decided to concentrate on being a full time artist and works extensively at her studio. Catch her exhibition on now at the John Erdos at Dempsey.