黑料不打烊

Bodhi Art presents 鈥楳aterial/ Im-material鈥� - a gallery collection show that brings together works of six contemporary artists who have deliberately and effectively used varied material in their creative expression. The works showcased are by Alex Mathew, Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, Gargi Raina, G. R. Iranna and Manisha Parekh. Sculptor Alex Mathew is known for his painted wood reliefs. A rather striking feature of his work is the way in which he handles his material, preferring to leave as much of the essence of the original medium as possible. While his works follow the figurative-narrative mode, his treatment combines bas-relief with painting on wood. Heavily textured and etched, an intriguing play of form and content is evident in these works- Allegories and Rumana. On the other hand, Iranna鈥檚 sculpture installation- Silencer has four fibreglass figures convincingly life-like in their muscularity and rough-hewn robustness. The first of these figures stands with his hands on the wall, straining against it; behind him stand three others, similarly straining against each other; the serenity of their expressions strangely contrasting with the physical effort evident in their stance. Juxtaposed against their ivory forms is the dark structure of the metal silencer, completing the sense of forcible silencing of agencies of expression that are bursting to break free. In other words, this is a vision of resistance where one discerns massive energy, which is fuelled by torment and the struggle against it. On closer observation, one sees that these conflicts being played out on the surface are present also between one color and another, between figure and hue, and between the crudeness and the expertise employed. In many of her works, Raina has assimilated objects and artifacts belonging to her family collection- photographic portraits, manuscripts, colonial coins, archeological drawings of a room, as well as found objects. Nancy Adajania writes about Gargi鈥檚 recent works- 鈥榳e are invited to explore various artifacts excavated from Raina`s private family history where they intersect and overlap with the political history of the country`s past and present鈥�. This is true of her Paraphernalia which is like a painted assemblage of compartments of the artist鈥檚 memories; as Adajania puts it- 鈥楻aina`s real medium is memory. Her work is preoccupied with the ways in which time and memory construct each other鈥�. Anju Dodiya鈥檚 suite of mixed media works created at the STPI has in use broken shards of mirror, artificial jewels, screen prints of mazes, maps, birds, horses and candles, all superimposed on or juxtaposed with large and small female heads that have been drawn and digitally reproduced. The screen print images have been sourced from the artist鈥檚 impressive personal inventory of maps, albums of plant and animal life, manuals of ornament and catalogues of mediaeval tapestries, cinema stills, handbooks of weaponry, illuminated missals and psalters, illustrated children鈥檚 books, artists鈥� monographs. Normal Picture and Chapters in Healing- Friction are from this body of works. Over the years, Atul Dodiya has expanded the boundaries of painting by embracing a variety of media. Sitaharan, River of Bones and Jail are from the series based on Dodiya鈥檚 own interpretation of the legend of Sabari and the Ramayana. In creating these paper works, the artist has used cotton shirts, gold leafing, cast paper shapes, flocking, synthetic hair, carbon tonor and packaging material among other things, both embedding the material in the paper and embossing the forms in places. As Ranjit Hoskote says of this suite, 鈥榃e saw the magic of paper pulp treated as both a graphic and a sculptural medium, its spectrum of expressiveness鈥�. Manisha Parekh has worked with different materials like handmade paper, board, jute rope, silk and embroidery thread. While in The So