The Art of Listening [ Review - Amina Ahmed at Gallery Seven Art]

Ave Maria Gratia Plena
- detail

How well are you connected? No, not on facebook or twitter, but to your soul; do you hear the call? New York based artist, Amina Ahmed’s recent exhibition at Seven Art Limited, New Delhi, drew inspiration from the “pulse of life” permeating all forms. Her father taught her that rain, trees and even their roots had a sound. She gives this communion a visual language in ‘The Call or ‘Bism’.

My heart is on Fire...

Imprinted on the gallery wall, a few words informed that while we live, there is a state of persistent longing. This angst, of separation from the divine, leads to bliss of oneness and separation again, in an eternal cycle. Through nuances of sound and shifting patterns of trees, water, roots and the logic of birds, the artist communicates with the divine. Seeing this connection in all things, Ahmed brought the language of birds, the subtlety of earth, and the rhythm of water, as drawings, installation and video, into the gallery space. The omission of any connection to other human beings was telling; speaking of the tendency to draw solace from aspects of nature that are unable to speak as we do, and thus contradict or question our assumptions about them.

 Most works were subtle and monochromatic, without overt messages or dramatic invocation of the divine. Haunting Sufi music that accompanied the two videos resounded in the entire space, adding to the serenity. As one walked through ‘Pukar’ with its numerous messages invoking the divine; over centuries and across cultures, imprinted under a beam and on the inside of its pillars, creating a sacred arch of sorts; you were compelled to ask: Am I in tune with nature? Have my senses been dulled by loudspeakers, hi-decibel newscasts and advertisements on television? 

Water

 In “Water’ a diptych [20.75 x9.75 inches, 2011, monotype] miniscule squiggly lines, form a longer one in a continuum , until the end of the narrow paper width; then the next line close to this and the next and the next; like an endless invocation, manically drawn with meticulous detail. If there was any definitive form to begin with, it merged into this ebb and flow, forming a ‘jaal’ that seemingly meant nothing and yet spoke of marks that make up our lives as we flow through experiences: the intertwining of cause and effect that entraps most of us.

Fine, silvered pins and photographic paper formed the ‘Rhythm of Fiveness’, a site specific installation on the wall [2011, dimensions variable]. Beneath this, a geometric pattern was lightly drawn in pencil over which the paper curled and twisted, forming protrusions on the wall surface. 

Rhythm of Fiveness

Even though the ‘pattern’ seemed to emerge from a calculated mathematical formula, encrypted in the underlying geometrical configuration, the result was chaotic. This was augmented by shadows produced through an overhead light source. The origin of the form seemed inconsequential, for the artist’s process of exploration had reduced it to an orchestrated presentation of chaos emanating from order; evocative of living, especially when our connection with the divine is impaired.

Oh, Subtle Earth

As a whole, the exhibition was soulful and evocative of some deep listening, but the unevenness in Ahmed’s involvement with the different elements jarred. Her invocations through water and birds had far greater depth than the rest. ‘Oh, Subtle Earth [tree]’ [30x18 inches, 2011, mixed media on paper] carried a texture similar to what had earlier been presented as ‘Water’. Its roots extended down from a rectangular surface with intense but tiny marks, like the tassels of a prayer rug. This work was hauntingly exquisite and worked much better without the title. And ‘Listening [Roots]’ [Charcoal on paper, 63x42 in, 2011] with its massive, black, typhoon-like swirl, brought in a bolder dimension and one lost the subtle thread of intensity connecting works like ‘Tree’, ‘Water’ and ‘River’. Adding to the confusion was another awkwardly swirling large form, drawn with charcoal on paper - ‘Listening [roots, weeds and trees]’. The paradox of oneness and the wretched angst of separation or subliminal glimpses of transcendence were better nuanced in ‘Water’ with its manic, obsessive line work and simple but effective articulation.

Ave Maria Gratia Plena

Listening[Roots Weads &
Trees]

In ‘Ave Maria Gratia Plena’ a site specific installation of variable dimensions [paper and pins, 2011] Inspired by a prayer to Mary, Blessed of all women, Ahmed created shapes, evocative of fallen feathers, from unusually textured paper. The pure whiteness of the paper against a white wall infused the installation with an aura, almost sacred. Was it a shrine to Birds? In the video ‘The Call with the help of Divine Nature’ birds are shown flying the sky. There is nothing subliminal about this flight; you can barely discern the form. The same movement is repeated in a somewhat deliberate, jerky motion. Birds shed their feathers. Birds fly. What is the logic of birds? Living in a multi-storey complex in Gurgaon, where pigeons abound, it’s impossible not to notice them. But the day after seeing Ahmed’s video; whenever I saw a flock mid-air, I stopped and wondered at the rationale of creatures that seem to do little else other than procreate at an astonishing pace and take to the skies.  The logic of birds seemed simple: be what you are, do what you are born to do. This is where Ahmed succeeds, guiding you to hear your own call.

The Call, Bism

When I saw the show, no literature accompanied the exhibition; the artworks also had no labels. It was an unusually calming experience: a silent communion, free of extraneous explanations. But later, reading the artists’ statement, I was disappointed. Her words obfuscated with formalized, intellectual ideas that detracted from the magical, personal connections made without them. If there is intention to lead the viewer, it would be useful to provide titles and literature at the onset. However, to connect with work executed with such heart and soul, a quiet mind, unhindered by jargon and politics would be more adept at listening.

To read a story inspired by this show read:
http://garammasalachai.blogspot.in/2012/03/darjeeling-tea-mendelssohn-and-flight.html

WhatAsana Was It All About? [Jenny Bhatt review, Gallery Seven Art]

‘MokshaShots’ by Jenny Bhatt at Gallery Seven Art, New Delhi, 10^th March to 3^rd April 2011, was a colourful presentation bordering on the psychedelic. The idea that spiritual liberation may take many life-times, but you could get a taste of the sublime through Bhatt’s tongue-in-cheek exploration had the promise of a fun-filled experience. However, the interplay between liberation through consumerism and the spiritual aspects of moksha was confused. Bhatt’s attempt to paint a satirical view of urban Indian consumer culture, focusing on how art, spirituality, media and emotion have been packaged as commodities was also not really witty nor was her critique objective. The concept itself lacked clarity and depth of exploration.

 

 Bhatt employed an inventive visual vocabulary, creating deities called ‘MokshaPets’ such as ‘MokshaBuy’ ‘Mokshasura,’ ‘MokshaBum’ ‘Kundalini’, ‘Reverence’ and ‘Irreverence’, Third eye, Eye Ball and ThoughtPill. They clearly inhabited a world of their own and the viewing experience would have been more inclusive had the gallery space been used to present dimensions of this unique, not-seen-before world. The spartan presentation of a few painted canvassed on white walls with vinyl stickers sprinkled across the floor and ceiling did not quite evoke the necessary atmosphere to enable  viewers to participate in and engage more actively with characters that most people in Delhi encountered for the first time.

 

 The artist’s involvement with her unique characters was visible. Her sense of humour too was evident through titles devised for the different postures in which each character was depicted. ‘Gulpasana’ was a portrait of ‘MokshaBuy’, gulping it all down. There was ‘Oopsasana’, ‘Champagnepopasana’, ‘Thoughtpillasana’ and other such works that allowed the viewer a glimpse of Bhatt’s enjoyment in the process of creating them. You wanted to share in the laughter but were never quite sure whether you should, for it often seemed that Bhatt was laughing at you and the stories about the icons seemed more alive in her own mind than on the canvasses hung on the gallery walls.

In the ‘MokshaBuy Mandla’ painted with acrylic on canvas [191.92x191.92cms], a many-armed creature modelled perhaps on goddess Durga of the Hindu pantheon was seen with shopping bags, credit cards, currency notes, an extraordinarily long shopping-list, ice-cream, a blood-stained sickle and more. This creature with eight arms stood atop the philosopher ‘MokshaBum’, surrounded by other characters invented by Bhatt. She conjured up imagery depicting the life of this goddess of retail therapy who had drawn blood too. Cloud and fire forms found in traditional Tibetan Thangka paintings were also incorporated in the picture. The ugly, purple deity with three eyes, evil red lips and a tongue that extended below her feet, also held a ‘jap mala’. On the one hand the artist purports to critique consumerism and its excesses, yet she calls it ‘MokshaShots’ or “taste of the sublime”. At the same time she also uses items such as the ‘mala’ associated with spiritual seekers which have ascetic connotations, confusing the issue. If consumerism is her path, of what significance is the ‘jap mala’? Is it about the insincerity of the seeker? Is it about the general confusion around the idea of moksha? Or is it about experiencing the sublime through consumerism?

In the ‘MokshaBum’ Mandala [2009, 121.92x121.92 cms] a cute, all blue creature with arms folded in a lazy, thinking posture, with a pink halo which could have been the cushion he was seated on, looked starry-eyed into space. His eyes didn’t confront you; he was clearly in his own world. Through this, the artist intended to exemplify the thinker and armchair philosopher, who never got up and moved, achieved little but expounded a lot; but the visual did not convey this. Bhatt used the concept of over-indulgence to denote fulfilment where ‘MokshaBuy’ supposedly attained moksha through excessive buying. She then presented ‘MokshaBum’ as the philosopher and an escapist, doing nothing but thinking, turning the idea of indulgences around, to represent now, the futility of a single dimensional approach, thus contradicting herself. 

Bhatt had imagined an elaborate life for these characters. The artist statement suggested that ‘MokshaBum’ may even have a girlfriend, lending credence to the idea that the visual alone was inadequate to present the fullest extent of her ideas and philosophy. Much greater intellectual investment and involvement as well as creative thinking was needed to bring alive this world successfully. An animation film or video could have been a possibility. In fact her digital interactive video created a much more authentic world, where you could participate. As an application on social networking sites such as Facebook, it may succeed in providing the kind of experience Bhatt possibly envisaged. Her concept is individualistic and the characters quite original but they lacked depth of exploration and thus appeared too cartoon-like and superficial. In addition, Bhatt appears to take the spiritual idea of moksha or liberation on the one hand quite literally and then interprets it via consumerism using a rather ‘liberal’ interpretation, complicating the issue.  She is therefore unable to able to exemplify her point of view.