There is a certain mysticism to Asma Menon’s art. Apart from the cats that are almost always part of her paintings, even the others have a certain fantastical element to them. This was evident at her show for Art Chennai that is on at Amethyst till February 17.
The laidback atmosphere of the café gives the art a more discerning twist. The cats in Asma’s miniatures are playful black silhouettes with a mind of their own. Even the other animals and birds seem to blend in with their surroundings. A pink bird opens its wings and envelops a tree. In a way, the bird becomes an extension of the tree.
‘Flowers At Your Feet’ looks like a stained glass painting. A tall-stalked lotus, with a leafy pad looks at the other lotuses around it. It is night and moonlight glistens on the waters. The ‘Blue Bird of Joy’ is a happy painting. It’s almost like a tribal art piece, with a rustic touch. It tells the story of the break of spring, with flowers spread over the forest in abundance. A tiger is seen walking around and pink florescent leaves have incandescent frogs on them. A blue bird sits on top of a wooden stump and sings out loud. The imagery is very vivid.
She paints the mystic life of a gypsy woman in another. Her life is framed by the cards she deals. Another work shows four women and the different lives they lead. While the paintings are pen drawings, the borders are coloured bright.
About shapes‘Shapes from the South’ has sculptures by Janardhanan, Kartik, Nandhan, Rajshekar Nair, D. Saravana and Velmurugan. These are on display in the foyer. Arun Pandit’s sculptures are a view of the world through a dizzy man’s point of view. The bulls have five heads and three feet. The woman has four heads on one side and one head on the other. Rajshekar’s, on the other hand, is of two women shaped like a ‘greater than’ symbol. The head on top is looking up while the head at the bottom disappears into the base of the sculpture.
Velmurugan talks of the conscious in his bronze sculpture of a man and woman. The man carries something on his head. Both hold hands. The interesting thing here is a little human being perched on the man’s shoulders, looking up as if to say something. What is he telling him? P. Gnana’s bronze sculpture of a woman nurturing a baby has something to smile about. The baby holds its mother around her waist and gurgles at her. The mother smiles with her eyes closed, her hair pulled back from her face.
This exhibition is on at Amethyst till February 15.
