Prathap Modi -Hooked to Virtual Hallucination....
Pratap engages with massive woodcuts as I have mentioned in the previous posts. Pratap thinks everyone depends on the society in the description of one’s own self. The consumer culture setting norms for a perfect man and absolute being makes us to imagine ourselves as per its standards. Instead, everyone in the society should keep proceeding with their own assessment of their authentic selves than worry how the society looks at them. I would say though Pratap’s work is amazing with its material inputs and labour spent it needs stronger base in terms of its concepts. I think he needs to look through the references of art works that spring out from popular culture and print making (like that of Chucklose’s portraits and Andywarhol’s conceptualization) while researching a lot more on how to anchor himself on vivid conceptions.
Pratap aptly exploits the textured surface of plywood which is malleable for different types of scooping out. As against the heavy wooden planks ply is easy for handling and also economical. Apart from using them as the printing blocks he dressed them up into low relieves. As we look in to his works in the context of other one can say beyond their innovative usage these are the pieces that can be preserved and sold unlike other’s works. The use of the mechanical weighing machine and reflective acrylic sheets are to please the aesthetical senses and are quiet ornamental. The accident that is more common among most of the contemporary artworks that tease and critic the consumer culture is that they end up being replicas of their antagonists.
Shaahkar Siddiquee – Reverberation
Shaahkar makes speakers and by way of fixing his laser reflectors on top of it they get to vibrate. An array of varying images arises from these lazer beams that resonate out of the music created. Shaahkar’s attempt is quiet innovative and distinct. The composition of objects with which he produces this music like empty beer bottles, water cans and scrap metal is quiet mind blowing. He uses electrodes from mobile parts, kiddy toys and electronic waste materials. There are several questions that comes to ones mind and they will be answered only at the end seeing the display. What kind of the image these machines are going to produce? Can we call it an art work? How do we look in to the whole process of experimentation? Certainly it can fall under the classification of performance art that springs out of multi-disciplinary avenues.
Jayashree Venkatadurai - Please mind the Gap
Delhi, the capital of India puts me in a state of constant fear as if I am being under surveillance here 24/7. As we travel across places like Lodhi Road and Rashtrapathi Bhawan the Indo-sarascenic buildings that carry the authority of power reminds me of wild elephants. There is no single movie posters on the walls. The number of cyclers and pedestrians are much lesser compared to that of the four wheelers. The cleansing of the capital in these areas as against the other metropolitan cities makes one compare it with the cliché of someone declaring that they have taken bath simply after washing their face. Where the rest of the metropolitan towns are congested with slums and skyscrapers loomed together Delhi remains a classical exception. The contrast between Chandni Chowk and South Extension, Khirki Gaon and Gurgaon makes one think about the gaps in the social class. As I traveled by metro the announcement that comes before the arrival of each station “Please mind the gap” was quiet thought provoking inspired by which I planned to do this work. As I researched further I came to know when the London metro came in to existence in early 60’s there had been lot of artistic attempts inspired by the announcement “Mind the Gap”. I plan to install a video projection on this theme.
Aishwarya Sultana - In and out of the Heartscape
Aishwarya makes her concepts revolve around everything she experiences in her day today life. People, places, emotions, actions, expressions and what not. All the three works she is presenting at the residency focuses on her reflections on life. She draws the attention of the viewer in to personal landscapes of her heart and body movements. She presents it in multiple modes. In and out of the Heartscape talks about the stress one undergoes within oneself. As I look more deeper in to her there are two things that comes to my mind. One, the material the artist is using and how relevant it is to the nature of the art work. Since her work heartscape is all about the organic landscape and emotions the use of steel welding and electric wires does sound little strange to the nature of the project. Instead if she had used materials like cloth and natural fibres (say Banana papers, yarn, wooden infra structures,etc) it might have given a different sensibility to it. Secondly, she may need to bestow more of her attention on is the specificity. Call it thought process or human emotions the artist tends to homogenize the expressions. While I think it would gather more meaning by acknowledging the multiplicity in class and gender.
Performance has been a way of appealing directly to a large public, as well as shocking audience into reassessing their own notions of art and its relation to culture. Her other project she doesn’t want to name is performance caught in the video. The artist brings out the images made during medical scanning and projects them as a form of art work
She explores with different mediums and is quiet excited in experimenting. Her project “Sswussh Aah!” is installed in the rest room.
Aditi A. Kulkarni - Inhale and Exhale
Aditi’s project is based on the issues of time and space. She had created multiple tiny rooms in which Television sets are to be installed. The artist plans to take the audience in to a roller coaster of moods as the sound and atmosphere vary from room to room. It is interesting to see her travel from minimal abstractions all the way to the multi faceted installation. One thing that is puzzling me is how distinctive the sounds are going to be given that the enclosures in which the TV sets are placed are tiny spaces. The use of corrugated sheets in place of the partitions I would say is a clever and simpler idea which is also economically friendly. The nature of this material not only solves the purpose of partition but also resists the passage of light. But again Aditi’s use of enamel is something that is to be paid attention to. There is a possibility of rendering and achieving similar effects through collage and mixed media which might lead her to innovative fronts giving room for much more experimentation.
Uma Ray –
1. Journey inward - Journey outward
Uma Ray displays the tickets of her previous journey to Delhi and she records her linear thought processes on to a flex board. She believes that her journey thus comes to a full circle by recording her present visit on to it. She is trying to figure out through words both her subjective position that reflects on the outside world and the outside world in its authenticity visited by her.
2. Cross Over
This I would call as a project more than a work. Uma had invited the people from the Khoj village and asked them to record their expressions as an attempt of breaking the compound wall that separates the “Organization-Khoj” from the “Khirki Village”.
3. The Trail
This work attempts to look in to the traces of left behind in the residency. There will be a video projection on the roof that catches up certain interesting moments and personalities.
Largely Uma’s works engages through words. During the initial presentation Anita Dube suggested her to read Jenny Holzer. In my opinion she engages in two modes. One is the monologue where in she revisits her thoughts and the other the interactive mode where she aligns the same with the community around. This reminds me of the artists Barbara Kruger and Martin Firrel apart from Jenny Holzer. But one should also notice that these artists’ works are not simply confessional or inward philosophical journeys but also powerful reflections on violence, war, class and gender hegemonies they focused upon. The individual in them undergo a shift when they are in association with the outside world.
The use of the transparent medium that translates the thoughts of the people across is successful for words are also sometimes just the passages through which one gets to travel. The use of acrylic sheets for the mirror too is similarly impressive for one gets to see ones reflections merged and mingled within the jungle of words. At the same time despite the remarkable effects one gets to worry about the nature of the medium. Especially hailing from Shanthinikethan (the place that has eco friendly concerns in many walk) Uma should be aware of the politics behind using the plastic and acrylic sheet as her medium. Both are biodegradable and doest allow the passage of water once it is dumped under the earth. Though one is not surprised about it considering most of contemporary art works are produced with fiber glass and flex prints it is still worthwhile to give it a thought.