The word ‘play’ can be interpreted as well as misinterpreted in many ways. It can be understood, performed, used (and abused). That’s exactly the discussion and the observation that All About Play (and other philosophies) exhibition brings to ‘play’.
Featuring diverse young voices from Karnataka — Dayananda N, Heena Pari, Lokesh B H, Nayana Baburao, Obayya, Pragati Dalvi, Raghu Kondur, Sushrutha D, Sonia Jose, Umesh Kumar P N, Urmila V G, Aishwaryan K and curated by Lina Vincent, All About Play (and other philosophies) offers the creative mind a variety of lenses for exploration, from sociological and psychological approaches, to those connected with ecology, spirituality, politics and culture.
“Various organic intersections in thought and motif are visible throughout the compilation of work. Some of the artists have built figurative relationships with familiar motifs quintessential of childhood, like the see-saw and the spinning-top, the balloon and the cookie-jar, which if looked at in a theoretical context, can refer to ideas of balance and rivalry, hierarchies and gender paradigms. Tug-of-war, Hide & Seek, crosswords and internet-games, while presenting a simple exterior, reveal deeper meanings about relations and connections, the human psyche and the rabbit-hole of layers it contains. Throughout the literal and symbolic investigations, play can be seen as a philosophy of life, a lens through which to evaluate experience and evolution,” Lina points out.
Trained in Visual Arts and painting, central to artist Dayananda Nagaraju’s works are large drawings representing the interwoven complexity of nature, especially taking inspiration from rice, farm animals, tree knots, everyday farm objects, and beliefsystems related to farming and contemporary culture. His Bullman series represents the many facets of life, placing the bull as a central figure — a hard-working farm animal that swallows harshness silently and takes life as thrown at it. The inlay work highlights this game of hide and seek using the symbolism of colour and texture of wood. The artworks are an amalgamation of different kinds of wood that reference societal perception of gender roles, but collectively create a synergy of life, going forward regardless of prejudices.
Heena Pari, a New York-based artist, draws inspiration from her upbringing in Mumbai, as well as a significant phase of her creative life spent in Bengaluru. “The 100 Day Project is an exploration, created as a part of my daily practice. It started as a play of white on black which in turn became very engaging as I moved from the pages in a book, to a digital space. This daily play/practice became a first for me in terms of a sustained engagement for such a continuous duration of time,” she says.
A visual artist based in Bengaluru, Of Play by Urmila VG is about the notion of play, fluctuation and conflict in everyday lives and in socio-cultural and political systems, as well as in personal spaces. When the conflict itself continues in its violent ways and the serious play in the situation demands that it be halted... peace is sought after and resolutions come into place. “The notion of play is also associated with the state of mind of a person who thinks about it — in the urgencies of life one does not see the significance of a certain kind of play,” Urmila says.
Visual and conceptual art practitioner Sushrutha D’s Game of Hearts is a game to win hearts. It reflects on the times we live in and how we are being programmed to do everything possible, to get liked. This game is to be liked, this show is to be liked, each work is to be liked, and you want to be liked as well.
Sonia Jose’s art practice relates to personal and social environments and histories. It stems from a need to acknowledge and preserve lived, intimate and overlooked experiences from everyday life. A series of hand-drawn illustrations that are digitally printed on raw silk scrolls, has the heart as a protagonist, which takes the viewer on a journey through Stories of Loss and Desire. These illustrated stories are inspired from emotions and anecdotes from life which are experienced, seen or heard about, from varied sources and texts.
In his artwork, Raghu Kondur has portrayed figures with various elements, in order to reflect our everyday play, with nature, mankind, and within ourselves. “I ask myself if we are trying to overpower each other, or co-exist. The individuals who inhabit my paintings explore to make sense of their relationship with the surroundings. The contemplation follows, on whether the drama or mystery will continue in this complex social structure,” says Raghu.
Artist Pragati Dalvi is fascinated by the complexities of body language, a topic she explores through the medium of performance art in public and private spaces. Me and my image is an ongoing performance series that she began in 2013, between identical twins, documented and represented through photographs. “The apparent resemblances and obscure differences in these women’s body types and body language have been metaphorically conceptualised to reflect on the conflict between any person’s image and herself,” she shares.
Obayya is a visual artist from Puttur, who says, “I have been responding to my local landscape, through my observations of self, and the other. In this, the ‘other’ — the crowd or mass — allows me to contemplate on the shifting stages of transition, of time itself. Within these observations lies my curiosity of life.”
Nayana’s art digs into roots, or culture and behaviour. The standpoint of her works is that nature and our environment, although considered outside of us, has within us not only its image, as something both actually and imaginatively reflected, but also its material energy and information channels and processes.
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The Hasta series by Aishwaryan K is a set of 15 paintings on paper. “My initial response to the concept All about Play was to present games that I played or did not play as a child. Through this, I wanted to share all kinds of feelings on how I lived and experienced my childhood, which was a mix of emotions including those of being sexually abused. For me, a gesture or a position of the hands/palms represents both literal and metaphorical notions connected with what I wish to express,” she says, adding, “Seeking to hide is a painted wooden column of four sides narrating a mystical metaphor of living in this society that is so pressurised that one seeks a place to hide but just cannot, due to all kinds of social and other circumstances,” the artist says.
“The works I am presenting for the exhibition All about Play, relate mostly to my nostalgic memories of childhood spent in my village,” says Lokesh B H. “My language celebrates a contemporary approach in representation, playing with the idea of imaginative elements and the aspect of fun. The scenes are also symbolically showcasing the harmonious outdoor life we lived as children, and as adults who are young at heart,” the artist adds.
January 26 to April 14.
At Varija Art Gallery, DakshinaChitra Museum.
Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com
X: @rupsjain