Points of Reference

Arati Desai in a catalogue essay forwarded to the forthcoming group show titled ‘Points of Reference’ curated by herself, notes that the points of concern of these artists may change in context with the work through its imagery, yet the significance of references in the initiation of a work of art remains vital.

No work of art has originated on its own, the sources of inspiration coming from various avenues. A finished picture or work of art is the culmination of a thought process and just as each painting or sculptural form has evolved from a point of creative origin, it begins with a point of reference. This could be unconsciously found or intentionally sought out. It could be an incident or an emotion, which results in the completed work of art. Perceptions of references: thoughts, facts, and emotions, visual connections, which reflect in an artists work, are collected in the memory over a period of time. These references, which appear over time, are in sync with the change and growth of the artist himself. Echoing the person who is the artist as well as the artist who is the person.

Along this voyage of expression, the roads are often varied, frequently retreating and even destructive. The context and significance may change, diminish or grow to such an extent that the very starting point no longer bears its original relevance. The artist does not challenge this process nor does he try. To find consistency, while looking at the points of reference in several works of an individual artist is more like trying to track the artists psyche and personality. Self-reflection and introspection beckon in the works of Nikhileswar Baruah. His lonely brooding figures on a surreal backdrop capture the attitude of the artist towards the present city life scenario, physical as well ethical. Referring to the so called glamorous image of people seen in the advertising world on hoardings and other public displays, the artist attempts to draw a line between the reality of the person and persona portrayed.

Initially as an observer to the daily rigmarole of routine with the unexpected cropping up from the different segments of people and their entities, and later as a narrator of the events, Arunanshu Chowdhury concentrates visually on the aspects of the times and ways of present day living. Derived from his surroundings, his language is defined by coherent display of perceptions of a scenario made by man for man. A common mode of transport, the auto rickshaw, revels in a status of its own regaining that of an icon of the present.
 
The apparent recurs like dreams in the illustrative prints of Vijay Bagodi. Riots and chaos continue to phantom the artist. Natural calamities and manmade ones, which ravage the state, provoke him to search for the meaning of existence.  This artist’s work reflects sentiments responding to the entire episode of mankind’s woes. To forget the wounds of the experience is to be irresponsible to the society, which serves and consumes the artist at the same time.

Talking about one’s environment in another sensibility with sensitivity are the works of Abhay Gaekwad and Shruti Nelson. Consciousness and concern for wildlife and animals dictate Abhay's work. The reality of a human political scenario displacing these animals from their natural habitat has been distressing enough for the artist to focus on the subject for a while now. The press and other public media leave no stone unturned to create a definite impression regarding this issue, thereby reasserting the images in the artists mind repeatedly. While Shruti, an ex-student of zoology, has been painting animal forms ever since the beginning of her career, her fascination for the animal kingdom has led her to make them the letters of her visual language. Her interpretation of life, progress and change tends to include these images to large extent.  The mystical creatures she creates become vigorous elements which she weaves and interplays with on her visual surface creating a space entirely her own.
The familiar breeds comfort and reassurance one front and the opposite diametric on the other. Playing with form, capturing the essence of his rural exposure, Nagji Patel restructures images of his experience along with visions of local deities; well aware of the part they play in his culture.  Remembering his roots and eager not to dispel them, Nagji Patel’s works hold on to motifs of the rustic village life where religion and spirituality are the very core of ones being. 
How much does the artist wish to reveal through his work? Is the artist actually conscious of how obviously his work and life is intertwined? It is this unknown that adds mystery to the visual, for the artist as well as the viewer.  Nehal Rachh focuses on questions and answers of human relationships. She looks for definition of human relationships through her work. Ceramics allows her to mould, construct and then reconstruct images just as one does with emotions. This seeking leads to questions at which the artist refuses to stop, for it is the answer, which will eventually decide ones finality of fate. Her search for the perfect image within its consigned space is eloquently translated through her images and their form.
The ongoing relationship between a mother and her young one cannot be denied.  The dolls and plastic toys of Heeral Trivedi’s space bear evidence to the recognition and acceptance of this relationship. Though the traditional kitschy toys distinctively assert her position as a mother, there is a desire to accommodate them within the norms of self-fulfillment as well. The process of her work evolves simultaneously with her being. Even though her final painting is relevant to her original idea of the work, the imagery constantly undergoes changes with the more appropriate props eventually becoming the significant figures in the work.
Rummaging through closets of her being to find expression and meaning makes Zaida Jacob’s sculptures identifiable to her self. The artist carries numerous images ranging from her childhood till the present moment, which are familiar to her. The pencil shavings and erazex white inkbottle, the duster with the black board, are too real to be anything else though these images are symbolic enough to have significance of ones entire existence and association with life. The fear of loosing what has been fundamental in the nurturing of the artist’s own self impels her to retain these images in her work.
As an artist, the person requires himself to discover, reinvent his being, to internalize his energies to create a work of art. Curiosity and fascination for found objects force Sharath Kulagattito look beyond the obvious. The very enterprise of searching for the object is the beginning of his journey. The significance of the structure held in old objects found in Baroda’s Shukrawari (local second hand roadside market) compels the artist to study its form and bring it alive through intricate design value. As a step further, the observation and study leads the artist to raise the form to another level by converting the non-living object to a living one. A cutter appears to be like a grasshopper. Here though the image of origin is a found object the visual is that of something totally different. While Sharath’s image changes unconsciously, Lokesh Khodke’s imagery is defined by a conscious distortion of an image in his paintings. Subverting physical references according to his need is obvious in Lokesh’s work. While images of bricks retain a very actual existence and reference, it is the bird with its extra long beak that breaks the regularity of the material and space and leads one to the several realms within the pictorial sphere. Though the artist’s reference at a quick look may appear very simple, a second glance verifies the artist’s insistence to go beyond the real.   
Reliving recollections of the past in the form of a dye with erotic imagery carved on it and bringing them back to life once again is essential for Mayyur Kailash Gupta. His work impressions his perpetual forage into a world of reality, which necessarily deals with times gone by. The artist ensures permanence of these thoughts through the material of his work. He revisits these genres with the desire to allow those emotions to arise once again. While Mayyur revisits old places Jyoti Bhatt reinvents the visual aesthetic. Working on old prints and using them as a found object, the artist brings about another dimension, not only in thought but also in the form of the work. The earlier form retains its essence and is accentuated by the reconstruction and supplementation. This process also allows the viewer greater scope to search for the meaning, while the reconstruction attributes to the mystical quality of the visual.
Jyotsna Bhatt on the other hand continues to maintain an element of fun in her ceramics, while retaining the interest to implant the visual of flora and fauna in her double walled ceramics. Working to create a structure brimming with its own volume, the artist is consistent with her fondness of nature. The derivation of these images go way back to the time when the artist, as a teacher, searched for a means to make the art of the mundane more exciting for her students. Simplifying the forms of animals, leaves and flowers to the extent of achieving an aesthetic form while retaining the character of clay has been the key to this artists work.

This assimilation of work, as a body, substantiates the various visions, desires and dreams of the artists. The numerous perceptions of the paradoxes of life. Though the self is no longer directly portrayed, the underlying necessity to be a part of ones work remains a focal point. Whether as a narrator, a visionary or even as a martyr. The points of concern may change in context with the work through its imagery, yet the significance of references in the initiation of a work of art remains vital. To go back to basic origin of creation and track its growth is to attempt to understand and appreciate the aesthetic journey of each artist and his work.  Brilliance always begins with a ray of light with the prism being able to create the rainbow. Points of reference are significant as a starting point. How far do they remain true to their vitality and understanding is nothing but the truth of life…change….