HEAVEN ON EARTH!By Joanne Pinto Pereira

Choosing a route this ANT on 10/10 was a tough call. It was an essential soul reviver compelled by intense caregiving. In the most diverse and challenging circumstances, how do you find and retain yourself and the intimacy of your space? The answer my friends, doesn’t blow in the wind. The search for sense in the transience is our making.

Enabling the journey
APTLY, it was the preview of Heaven (And that Other Place) that put the month gone by in perspective. You have to hand it to Gallery ISA at the Ballard Estate for each of their gigantic efforts. American Waswo X. Waswo based in Udaipur with his skilled team of collaborators stylishly uses the century-old miniature painting format to meticulously put together a feast. The intricately layered gold leaf artworks are in huge formats as ISA is known for. It takes you through a journey with the central protagonist, a tiny figure either as the avatar or alter ego of the “Fedora Man” artist and you identify with elements through his lens. Each canvas carries its magical moments, a light-hearted comment through a tiny Jeff Koon detail, the owls as symbolic of his search, that you discover.


The foreword for the catalogue announces the spiritual shift in the practice. The fulcrum of this show is the triptych titled “The Three Places: Descension, Heaven and Ascension.” The emphasis lies in the ultimate coexistence with nature. “The Unbearable Joy of Living” raises questions about the individual’s experience of living. “While death and the art of dying, a harmonious coexistence of the spiritual and the natural – are reflected in Waswo’s works. Orientalism, inclusion an understanding of history, the nuances of identity and the cultural differences and similarities that separate and unite us all.”
On view till November 17

The Fine Art of ‘Balance’
IN the hood at IF.BE, Rooshad Shroff’s mastery over marble is taken to the next level through his stylish sofas and breathtaking tables. In his elegant design language is his recent offering of chord work carpets in pastel hues. I have yet to visit his recently renovated all blue studio but have kept an eye on his refined practice for many years now!

Carpe Diem
MANAGED a pit stop at Chemould for Gigi Scaria’s Biophilia. The curation is so well presented and the heart desires a revisit. Besides, as always Srila’s presentations give you well-founded FOMO. Method Gallery and 47A will have to wait. Another space, Stranger House at Colaba is the place to initiate conversation, their interesting lineups are the perfect foil. It is Aakara Contemporary that comes up with unusual works set in their gallery with light streaming through the gothic detailing.

Glass House
THE Gallery at the erstwhile Great Eastern Mills space in itself is a getaway. Its green old-world charm transports it to another realm. For those who swear by glass houses quotation, this is an eye-opener!
“Symbols of Care and Nurturing” created by Geeta Nallani and Gourmoni Das is a breath of fresh air. The title captivated me. It is the universal emotion essential and instinctive in our fiber. How do you reconcile with being alive while letting go? How do make peace with these various metaphors for the life cycle, while you struggle with the full circle? The soft gaze of artist Shraddha’s self-portrayal when expecting her daughter captivates you with its expression in subdued hues using watercolours. The zen quality of Rashmi Pote’s figures, bereft of features yet communicate the timeless story of Familial Ties. The feeling relayed casts a meditative spell on your inner child.
The natural light plays hide and seek adding another dimension to the artworks of multiple artists, all women. So much talent under one Glass House Roof! The elemental feminine beckons in myriad mediums: Shayonti Salvi’s ceramic conches, Shalini Dutt’s weaves using upcycled saris, Neena Singh’s liberating acrylic on canvas, Manisha Shetty’s terracotta sculptures.
You find the contextual balance through nature. The fine woodcuts and etchings of Nisha Dhinwa. Bindu Kasinadhuni’s sharp, stark paper cuts filter light prompting you to ‘Evolve’. The luminosity creates new patterns and leads you to the large format of Riya Chandwani. Inspired by her colours of Ajarakh, you are confronted with the challenge, “Where are you going?’ As the works grow on you, the thread that twines the works together, dawns on your sensibilities.

Top of the House!
OCTOBER has to be the month that champions the spirit of octogenarians. The show stopper hands down has to be 90 YO Sophie Ahmed. She made her entry ably assisted by her driver with her car brimming with treasures of board games. She certainly charmed the entire team at the gallery, in her quest to buy a work for her family.
The walkthrough was punctuated by her childlike queries about the patterns of the living installation “Factory 5.0” by Aditya Mandlik in the Nine Fish Art Gallery and her enthusiasm caught on. We were riveted by the WIP being created by these large beetle worms. It is an indulgence to slip into child mode and watch these “Lumbricus” or simply put keedas lustily or lazily chomp through the styrofoam letting down a fine white snow residue. Ten thousand worms in the transparent boxes held together by a dinosaur-like skeletal wooden frame, give or take a few that crawled off, is a sight to behold. It is the kind of education that every curious mind needs. A learning in how basic life is meant to be. No jaldi five or line prize for that.
The takeaway from Sophie that rainy evening was to persevere. And with that a big high 5 on life!

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