At this exhibition, you will travel into the minds of the artists

The art scene in Chennai is ever vibrant and the number of artists who flock to the city to exhibit their creations is testament to the same. One such exhibition which has drawn the attention of Chennaiites is Iconographic Echoes. Featuring the work of artists Ravinder Dutt, N Ramachandran, Sitikanta Samantsinghar, Madan Meena and Srinivasa Reddy, it is a captivating exploration of the fusion between traditional iconography and contemporary artistic expression.

Also read: Artist Sanjoy Patra presents Mythical Reflections, a solo exhibition at a city-based art gallery

Speaking to Indulge, the artists reveal what prompted them to exhibit their art in Chennai, their future projects and more...

Excerpts:

Q: Please explain in detail about the theme of the exhibition and your work.
A:

Sitikanta Samatsinghar: I come from a rural village called Alugaon near Chilika lake in Odisha, and I belong to a farming community. My work has always been influenced by the social and ecological realities that surround me, dating back to my college years. I have been addressing issues related to social disparities and power structures within the farming sector, as well as concerns about conflict and change in the rural environment. My early inspiration comes from the 'Bhaga Chashi Andolan,' a peasant movement in rural Odisha that took place in 1953 and was led by my grandfather, Dr. Nrusingha Samantasinghar. This movement was triggered by the killing of a poor farmer named Sani. Landowners had long been depriving farmers of their wages and the profits earned from agricultural production. I aim to create a visual dialogue that focuses on the politics of sustainability, and my philosophy is rooted in the spirit of compassion and understanding. Nowadays, I have been addressing issues related to ecology and conflicts arising from migration. I have always been influenced by Chilika Lake, located nearby, where migration is a gamble, and birds and fish have to contend with various dangers on their journey, including bad weather, hungry predators, exhaustion, and starvation.

Ravinder Dutt: Iconography as we all know talks about a range of images used by an artist to convey a particular meaning. I see myself as a time traveller when it comes to creating art and also my existence. I consider myself a misfit in today’s world and to balance my existence, I delve into my own fictitious world of fairy tales, palaces, antiques that I collect and surround myself at home and of course art. My family origins are from the city of Lahore and Kashmir, when after partition the family comes to Delhi, so there are so many stories to be narrated in the form of art. Art as I see is a celebration for me that brings me joy and is the reason to exist. I draw inspiration form the Mughal, the colonial and the contemporary eras. Though the iconography in the works could be age old but it shows hidden meanings of the contemporary era. So, I look at the past from the present and travel to future to create art, assembling the fine traditions of the past and merging it with the technology of the present and in
between weave stories and histories which are part true, part fictional in nature.

Srinivasa Reddy: The Vahana series of pictures that are part of this exhibition are a symbol of the most important experience of my life. For further education, I grew up in an ashram away from home for five years in a traditional culture. After that, I lived in cities like Bengaluru and Chennai. Social, political and traditional ideas that were happening around me during these two times influenced my artworks. The theme of this exhibition is based on vahana and workers. Wooden vahanas are used to bring Utsava idols for city pradakshina or temple circumambulation during rituals and festivals held in famous temples in cities.

Q: Kindly explain how the process is done and the kind of time needed to conceive it.
A: 

Sitikanta Samatsinghar: In my artistic process, I metaphorically introduce specific imagery into my paintings to address critical issues. Throughout my journey of drawing, painting, and creating installations, I frequently engage in experiments with various materials and surfaces. This
experimentation involves the incorporation of organic materials like palm leaves, paper, canvas, tea leaves, smoke burns, paper pulp, and neon lights into my artwork. Additionally, I have recently been exploring text-based installations. While living with social constraints can be confining and exhausting, these very limitations propel me towards a deeper understanding of humanity.

Ravinder Dutt: I am a history buff. I love to visit museums and historical sites, especially the Red Fort in Delhi where I was fortunate enough to visit the locked spaces (not open to public). I collect objects which talk to me and tell me stories, which I weave around them and add an element of fiction. Also, I am fond of photography and use lot of images and objects that I collection during my sojourns to create art. Some works have taken as long as a lifetime to mature and conceive, others just come by in a fraction of a second. It depends.

Srinivasa Reddy: Almost all the images of vahan's used in my artworks are festival sculptures of wooden vahana's used in festivals at Kapaleeshwararar Temple and Parthasarathy Temple in Chennai, which I photograph first and use as reference.And I have used the rubber stamp print in the corners of the image as a signifier here in the print of the stamp. According to the title related to the artwork, I have written the line drawing of traditional story pictures and made a rubber star and used the print here.The perceptual composition of these artifacts sometimes takes longer and sometimes dries up quickly

Q: How impactful are historical and mythological narratives on an artist who is set to deliver a work on culture?
A: 

Sitikanta Samatsinghar: From my perspective as an artist, mythological and historical narratives often encompass symbols, motifs, and imagery imbued with profound cultural and societal significance. I have the ability to incorporate these elements into my work with the aim of conveying precise messages or eliciting emotional responses from viewers. Furthermore, I may choose to work on pieces that reflect my own cultural heritage or explore the broader cultural identities of my communities.

Ravinder Dutt: I live in a different world, usually cut out from the world that exists, after the pandemic I am became more of a sociopath. So, I live more in a dreamy world, though I balance the both as I have been doing it for years in a management capacity with cultural organizations and export hubs. But thanks to the Internet which was never heard of when I was growing up in the last century, the mind works as an augmented reality, sometimes not been to a place give more imaginative power to how it might look and that is what is converted into art.

Srinivasa Reddy: Generally, when an artist or a writer actively creates a work of art, the social conditions around him, political and traditional ideas have a profound influence on him and are reflected in his work of art.

Q: While working on the paintings for the exhibition, what techniques did you use and how long did it take to complete the set.
A: 

Sitikanta Samatsinghar: I use Acrylic on palm leaves or some paper, employing watercolours. It takes approximately 10 to 12 days to complete one artwork. I displayed a total of 18 works.

Ravinder Dutt: I use new media for creating artworks, so it is an amalgamation of drawing, painting, photography, found objects which are ultimately made into a work of art digitally.

Srinivasa Reddy: I usually work in two mediums one is watercolour and paper and the other is mixed media with paint creating artwork on vintage postcards. All artworks used in this exhibition are watercolour and paper. It is not possible to give an exact estimate of the time taken to create a work of art as works of art take varying amounts of time depending on the subject matter.

Q: Why was Chennai selected for displaying the feature paintings and are some of the works connected to the metropolis?
A: 

Sitikanta Samatsinghar: This can lead to the fusion of traditional art forms and ideas from both regions. It may depict these stories in my work, sharing cultural narratives from the context of the artistic scene. I often find inspiration from a variety of sources and incorporate elements from different cultures into my work, resulting in a rich tapestry of artistic expression. It depends on various factors, including the preferences of the exhibition organizers, the gallery's reputation, its location, and its ability to provide an appropriate setting for the artworks being displayed. Whether the artworks are connected to the metropolis would depend on the theme and focus of the exhibition, which can vary from one event to another.

Ravinder Dutt: Chennai has a rich culture, though I have never been here, would love to visit the city sometime. Culture has a universal language and I am sure the spectators there would love these works stemming out of the rich cultural heritage of the subcontinent. There are works showing flying
vimanas, to Tipu’s throne that could be converted into a flying machine, so people anywhere in the world can relate to history, science and fiction.

Srinivasa Reddy: Of course, all these works of art are related to the city of Chennai. In the most important time of my life, 2012-13, I lived in Chennai on a one-year research scholarship grant from the Central Academy of Fine Arts. The Lalithakala Academy regional centre near the gallery was
my work area. I took a room and stayed there (MMDA colony and Choolaimedu), the rituals of the people living around and the rituals of decorating the trees in the middle of the streets, the Parthasarathy and Kapaleeshwarar temples there, the festival celebrations and the life of the common people are all contained in these works of art.

Q: Do give us some details about your upcoming projects and your dream project as well.
A: 

Sitikanta Samatsinghar: I aim to expand my current projects to encompass larger areas, as my work demands ample space for proper display and impact.

Ravinder Dutt: I am delighted to show my new Theatre installation titled 'The Magic Theatre Chest' with Apparao Galleries at the AD Design Show in Mumbai on September 15, and textile show along with the India Art Fair 2024.

Also read: A gallery of imagination and intuition

Srinivasa Reddy: I intend to do different artworks in the near future. I intend to use the Mysuru traditional style and some artworks have already been started. And in the postcards, I plan to meticulously depict the traditional and political life of India with contemporary ideas from my point of view. And working on some of the next projects for the gallery.

On till September 16. 3-6.30pm. At Apparao Galleries, Nungambakkam