Dancing with Paint
A saturation of expression is reflected by the movement of paint upon the canvas.
Photo courtesy of SC Shekar
It all started when…
I was preparing for a kathak performance in Perth. The customary flourish in a 'tihai' or ending flourish calls for a burst of energy upon the last 'sum'. I began thinking that if I converted my energy to paint, what would it look like? Thus I began my 1st series of four paintings (In Black, Blue, Red and White) of dancers for an exhition in Paris. The 'energy cycles' and lines were more significant for me than the actual figures. I danced the flourishes while I painted. There and then was born a style that stemmed from a lived experience... of living a moment of dance.
SaHridaya
A syncretic, mosaic interpretation… an interweaving of systems of thought, sometimes seemingly diverse, is the core of my work.
Each square canvas that makes up the whole includes handwritten scriptures. Individuals contribute to scribing these ‘mantras’, forming a type of meditation and yoga practice, called Likhita Japa.
Besides bringing about purity of heart and concentration of mind, this form of meditation provides control of and focus on an individual’s sight, tongue, and fills one with the power of endurance and peace of mind.
It all started when…
The Term 'Likitha Japa' is the practice of writing a potent sound syllable, over and over again.It is a powerful method of meditation where the mind and body is engaged.Like the flames of oblation in a 'homa' ceremony, the mantras are offered as a means of homage.
These series of paintings called SaHridaya paintings uses the Likita Japa as a means of binding the minds of the participants of a production. Every dancer, musician cast and crew are given specific areas to carefully scribe the mantras on seperate canvases and I finally collect them and paint the presiding deity on them. Above is the complete Sahridhaya painting of Goddess Saraswati, comprising of the 1000 names of the Goddess written 16 times. (April 2015) on display at the Studios of Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya Perth.
Shakti
Shakti - The Eternal Energy
It all started when…I began to seek the energy within
SHAKTI the stage performance-(Florence-Paris-Perth-New York-Edinburgh)
The performance itself revolved around the aspects of the feminine energy. The manifestation of this Sacred Feminine energy in its male and female dimensions, the raucous tempestuousness that characterizes the interaction of these dimensions and the manner that synthesis, impinges on the human soul, is explored through dance, poetry and painting. Morphing constantly from dispersion to dichotomy, this dynamic is personified by a spectrum of personae, weaving its way from the androgynous Ardhanari into the maternal Ganga, the raging and terrifying Kali, and the energy’s transmutation into the enchanting male form, Krishna, and its radiant burst as the compassionate Devi. The dance, the painting and the music, all set within the mind of the artist, is a rigorous search of the imagination, to find meaning and perhaps even to transcend the mundane.
Vishwa Vinayaka
Vishwa Vinayaka
It all started when…
We began choreography for this dance production under the same name. Immersion of the mind into the concept of the creative matrix Ganesha, forms began to emerge in my mind. Colours, curves, points of reference, bursts of energy, swaying, lilting, thundering sounds and motions that eluded notions of now and then... Paintings began to churn out over a matter of three weeks, I revelled in paint, colour and dived into the abyss of the drone of OM....
The dance production toured to Hyderabad, Chennai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Perth with the projections of the paintings that formed the backdrop for our dancing bodies.
Krishna
Krishna
It all started when…
I was a child. The concept of 'Krishna' held a special fascination for me. Romantic images of this blue boy of Brindavan reflected in so many ways through the Indian arts found a calling in my heart. Why? I do not know. I just knew that I had draw him, again and again and again. Almost as if I could capture him on the page and in my heart. Like a dew drop, I hold one poignant moment of joy that carefully rested upon my soul. To relieve an ache...I draw
again and again...