About us Jasmine Shah Varma Are myths relevant to us in the 21st century? Are they akin to bedtime stories or do serve a larger purpose in our lives? What is keeping them alive in literature, film, drama and the visual arts? We continue to relate to the oldest myths and folk tales because they are built on certain archetypes that explain basic nature of the human kind. Our oldest myths are relevant to us for they are constantly recycled by the stories we tell today. They transcend their time and are echoed in modern stories about contemporary life. They indicate that the basic nature of humanity has remained unchanged, that our problems and the inadequate solutions we find, our desires and our emotions, are reflected by these archetypal stories. We live in a vastly different world from the one our ancestors inhabited; but we are the same. According to Christopher Booker, author of The Seven Basic Plots, there are seven archetypal stories that are constantly retold over the ages. For example, Jaws is drawn from the same prototype as Beowolf, and Dr No follows the same script as The Epic of Gilgamesh. Drawing from the oldest myths and the latest TV serials, from fabled epics and contemporary novels, Booker illustrates how humanity is enraptured and explained by the same basic archetypes, which he categorises as rebirth, tragedy, comedy, voyage and return, the quest, rags to riches and overcoming the monster. It’s particularly relevant to visual art because the use of symbols and allegories found in old myths continue to reappear in art with a contemporary context. Because of their history the role of mythic emblems become that much more layered and complex allowing several thoughts to be expressed through a single image. When I put together this exhibition, I asked these artists to reinterpret myths in a manner that would reflect their concerns about the times we live in. Many of them have used myth as metaphor before, while others have experimented using mythical emblems in their present work. Some have referred to specific characters from stories ranging from classical Greek mythology, Ramayana, Vedas and Bhagwad Gita. There are others who have brought in mythical and epic references but have kept them ambiguous. Some others have created a mythical atmosphere without alluding to stories or characters. Through these varied approaches, we get a sense of how these artists view myths, and the role it plays in their thinking. Take the work of Debraj Goswami, for example. He is known to make one composite image out of two disparate objects to make satirical statements. In the paintings for this show he shows his concern about cityscapes replacing nature. In Hanuman Saving the Mountain he recalls the story of Hanuman lifting the Sanjeevini mountain when asked to fetch a life-saving herb found on it. In the present context, Debraj invokes the deity to relocate the mountain to save it from being over-run by concrete. K K Muhamed often references Greek mythology in his complex work. His art is suggestive, and doesn’t offer direct interpretation of the mythic tales. His work in this show, Zeus Unbound, is a play on Prometheus Unbound, which was based on the myth of Heracles freeing Prometheus. His triptych is about the nature of absolute power, and the fate of those who question it. The imagery in his work is powerful, such as the still water in the fountain, a somber royal blue, that expresses the idea of stagnation. Vidya Kamat, in her series of digital print called Archeology Self, explores the roots of her own identity using mythology as a reference point. Kamat has taken photographs of Byzantine and Greco Roman busts and tried to fit in her personal physical attributes as a starting point to see how much of her is embedded in the past. As she says, “Mythology is basically an extension of an older self. I am reflecting back to see if I fit in those myths and people from the past to know how much of me – a 21st century person – belongs to that period.” Hanuman Kambli’s work attests that time and again man has faces the same emotions, circumstances and evils. His work Where? How Far? evokes a sense of cosmic chaos, with the devil trampled by a mightier force. The iconography calls to mind the story of the undefeatable Mahisasura, the buffalo demon, being slayed by Durga. In today’s times the artist thinks that one of the biggest evils is demon of doubt. He says, “People are always doubt your integrity, your intentions.” To evoke this thought there’s a string of multiple skulls – demon of doubt – Shankasur in the ankle. Hema Upadhyay questions the role of mythology in the hands of politicians today. Her paintings reveal the violence that myths are used to justify, with dismembered body parts, piled up bodies and much blood. They show us how myths are being simplistically interpreted today by people who cause carnage in the name of faith. On another political note, Sachin Karne questions the line between perception and reality, depicting the idea of flight through a bird and a plane. While the bird is depicted along the dictionary meaning of myth, the plane has the meaning of reality. In the central panel of this triptych a man – the one in power to make the interpretation – is painted in the academic portraiture style. Through the technique of painting itself, Karne asks complex questions about reality and illusion, belief and disbelief. Santosh Morajkar expresses through his powerful drawings the power we invest in fate. Ferocious creatures are seen in these works with allusions to astronomical charts. Morajkar seems to be making references to how we abandon the responsibility to act rationally by making a higher power responsible for our happiness or misery. Santosh also tries to bring in the dual nature of these mythical deities, that encompass with benevolence and brutality. Joseph Campbell’s words, “Myths are public dreams: dreams are private myths”, aptly describe Shruti Nelson’s work and creative approach. Shruti creates her own mythical place where animals, birds and human beings are in a state of metamorphosis. She captures a magical hour that only she is privy to. The work in this exhibition brings out the transcendental quality of myths and the impermanence of life. The central figure of a heroic, commanding woman brings to mind Helen of Troy, though the artists makes no references at all to mythical sources. Heeral Trivedi’s two works titled The Enchanted Forest I & II have a quilt-like pattern where disconnected images are collated. A Victorian couple seems to be walking through a maze of images of demons with horns, the hybrid of a snake and octopus, a Victorian lady holding a torch, a monkey with wings, a sketch of a man trying to take a flight with the help of a primitive flying model, and so on. Heeral isn’t building a narrative or making specific commentary but hopes that the objects – some real and others imaginary – provoke the viewer into thinking. Mythology as a theme has been explored by curators and exhibitors in the past as a convenient umbrella to provide identity to Indian contemporary art. My focus is on how we grapple with the understanding of what is happening around us with the help of myths. Myths are inherent to our thinking, even if we aren’t conscious of it. Also, this show draws attention to the complex ways in which artists build a web of metaphors and symbols to create a visual language. I hope you find a mythical story to identify with take forward your understanding of life’s mysteries.
Jasmine Shah Varma is a writer on art and an independent curator. She has been curating shows for various galleries since 2005. To date she has put together 20 art exhibitions. She has also curated charity auctions for Concern India Foundation’s Bangalore projects in 2006 and 2007. She writes occasionally on art for Indian art magazines and daily publications. Prior to being an independent curator she was a journalist for eight years in Mumbai. Check out the shows she has put together at www.indiancolours.com |