She had blue skin,
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue,
Their whole life through,
Then passed right by-
And never knew.
- Shel Silverstein, Every Thing on It.
Bhutan-based artist Zimbiri quotes these lines of American poet Shel Silverstein to give an idea of the thought process behind her collection of paintings, titled ‘Faces’. The poem, she clarifies, didn’t really trigger Faces but aptly explains the idea.
‘Faces’ has paintings that use masks characteristic of Mahayana Buddhism. “As a child, I would visit temples with my parents in Bhutan. I would be fascinated with the beauty of the temples and the idols but was terrified of the masks that line the pathways. There was something ominous. I learnt that these masks are used as a means of protection, to ward off evil,” she explains.
That line of thought permeates through her paintings, where she uses both male and female masks found in Mahayana Buddhism and juxtaposes them against faces of regular people. “Many of us were masks during our interaction with society to protect ourselves. One needs to earn the right to see the real person behind the mask. When we wear a mask for a prolonged period, it becomes a part of us and our identity. The real person stays behind,” she says.
The canvases are bereft of clutter. The faces and the masks take the attention and she paints them in shades of black and grey or vibrant blues and reds. There are enough images where the masks are larger and in the forefront with the real faces seen through the masks.
A set of two paintings that use the male and female masks, she says, are dedicated to her parents. “It’s my way of celebrating their long years of togetherness. When people live together in an intimate relationship, their masks come off,” she says.
Armed with an MA from Wheaton College, Illinois, with a double major in economics and fine arts, Zimbiri had her first solo exhibition in Bhutan recently with ‘Faces’.
“Contemporary art is young in Bhutan and it isn’t easy to get a solo exhibition,” she says.
On a parting note, Zimbiri underlines, “This series is my way of stating that we also need courage to let down our guard, take off our masks now and then to connect to others.”
(Faces was exhibited at Taj Deccan, at an event organised by Rasaraagini) .
