A Wondrous Variety Of Life

A range of works are on display at the 'Oradimannu' (One Foot) exhibition at the Bindhi art gallery. 58 artists are taking part

Photos: Deepa Gopal Sunil (left) and Bindhi Rajagopal; Onyx Paulose's work

By Shevlin Sebastian

On most mornings, when artist Deepa Gopal Sunil would read the newspaper or watch the news on TV, she would come across instances of children being sexually abused. “It disturbed me a lot,” she says. So, when curator Bindhi Rajagopal invited her to participate in an exhibition, which is taking place at the latter's art gallery, she decided to focus on this theme.

In her acrylic work, done in shades of grey and black there is a teenage girl holding a teddy bear, in a pastel shade, and sticking her tongue out. “There are so many crimes against children,” says Deepa. “It marks a loss of their innocence and childhood. The teddy bear is to indicate that children are the playthings of depraved adults. And the girl has stuck her tongue out to show the death of her dreams.”

Artist Sara Hussain has focused on the physical, rather than moral decay. After having worked in a studio at Jew Town for the past 14 years, Sara has focused on the broken-down houses that she sees all around her. Her work is about one such house, etched in a yellowing colour to indicate that it is a night scene. Instead of a brush, she has used a pallet knife. The roof is a mix of grey and brown. “Many such houses can also be seen in other cities, like Mumbai,” she says.

As for artist Sajith Puthukkalavattom, he had an unusual experience while attending an art camp near Bengaluru. During lunchtime, several monkeys would come charging up to get at the food of the artists. “They lived in the nearby trees, which had all dried up,” says Sajith. “Today is a time when we are losing so much of forest land, thanks to commercial exploitation.” So, he has done a watercolour on rice paper that shows a tree trunk on wheels, which is going to be used in the cities. A monkey sits on top of it, looking at the viewer with a sad face. “I wanted the viewer to feel a prick of conscience about what we are doing to the planet,” says Sajith.

Meanwhile, PG Dinesh has dwelt on a simpler subject. He has drawn an image of a small boy, wearing goggles which have only one lens. Dinesh got the inspiration to do this portrait from his six-year-old nephew Manav. “He would break the toys and use it in a different way,” says Dinesh. “I remember once I gave a photo of Manav to him. What he did was to place it on the floor, and drive his toy car over it. There were scratches and sand on it. I used this photo as a reference.”

As for Onyx Paulose's work it can make you step back. It is a face with a large tongue sticking out. On it rests a black lizard. The face has been split into two halves and both are looking at each other. The 14' work is made of wood and fibreglass. “There are many people who talk too much,” says Paulose. “I wanted to portray them. As for the lizard, there is a belief that when we say something, and if the reptile makes a noise, it means that whatever we have said will happen. However, usually, nothing happens.”

A total of 58 artists are participating. They include Sunil Vallarpadam, Babu KG, Benoy Janardhanan, Kaladharan T, O Sunder, Shajee Chelad and Sunil Lal TR.

“Most of them are either state or national award winners,” says curator Bindhi. Regarding the theme of 'Oradimannu' (One Foot), Bindhi says, “The sun has a path, and the moon has a path. Like all living beings, we human beings also have a path. When we stand at one place, the place belongs to you. But the moment you move, that space is no longer yours.”

To illustrate the concept, Bindhi has done a drawing on a brass sheet showing the soles of two feet. It belongs to a student of Bindhi's, who is a teacher in an architecture school. “He is a cancer survivor,” says Bindhi. “So he is a hero in my eyes.” 

(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)