An artistic probe into memory and perception

Artist Asim Paul and curator Jesal Thacker get candid about how nostalgia plays a vital role in their latest offering
Reference Image
Reference Image

Inspired by “conscious and subconscious memories of his life experiences”, Kolkata-based artist Asim Paul has translated recollections of a time gone by into his paintings. Observe his works closely and you will see how bold strokes on uneven surfaces are complemented by a range of colours that evoke emotions. After decades of creating and experimenting, the 47-year-old artist is all geared up to showcase his first exhibition in the Capital. Organised by Kolkata-based Gallery Art Exposure, ‘Perceptive Oscillation’—this exhibition opens today at Bikaner House—is a display of paintings and ceramic pieces. In a chat with The Morning Standard, Paul and curator Jesal Thacker, give us an insight into the show.

Excerpts…

You have talked about “collection of conscious and unconscious memories of life experiences”. Can you elaborate on this?

Asim: Only emotions work when you are creating something abstract. When I was young, I remember my mother and aunts laying the bori—in Bengal, women would create small dumplings from the batter of lentil-and-spice; later they would wrap them a cloth and dry it in the sun. The image and design of the bori stayed with me. I adopted the design and form of the bori into my work.

Give us an insight into ‘Perceptive Oscillations’.

Asim: This exhibition is a display of recently-made works, themed on memory and perception. For a number of years, I have worked on past memories. With this exhibition, while the exploration of memories continues, I experiment with lines, dots, and colours.

Can you explain the process of curating this show?

Jesal: I have been seeing Asim’s practice for a few years now, and that is when I agreed to curate [this exhibition] because you cannot curate a show if you are not familiar with the work of the artist. The exhibition comprises some distinct series. One is wherein Asim is talking about memories of the past.  The visual imagery of childhood is very distinct in a few of his artworks. When I saw the works, they looked like musical notations to me—like the ones you see in a piano. I thought it is very interesting.  When you look at an artist’s practice, you will observe how they work on one series for a few years. However, when I visited Asim after a few months in Kolkata, I saw him exploring a new series, which did not have the bori impression… they were just free-flowing lines. That, to me, brought about a feeling of resonance. Asim mentioned how he is trying to break away from the memories of the Partition, and finally he reached a state of acceptance, which is why you see a burst of colours in the other works. I saw an abstract language between the two concepts.

For this exhibition, you have worked with several colours and not just the classic black and white…

Asim: I have spent years working with black and white. In this show, I have, however, displayed works in other colours. The colours weren’t planned. My paintings are not giving any social message. I am more interested to see how my paintings look and what is the viewer’s reaction to the painting.

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