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Fables without frames

Abhishek Hazra borrows from visual and theoretical works that don't easily fit the categories of high art or conventional academic disciplines

MANY VOICES Abhishek Hazra's works are marked by multiple layers of meaning

Conceptual art, a concept which began in the mid-1960s as an inquiry into the nature of art itself, sought to suggest new conceptions of the world in which the artist/viewer lived. Conceptual artists did not create paintings or sculptures, prints or pottery. Their "product" was not a physical object but a mental synthesis of the material.

One of the leaders of the movement, American conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, declared that not all ideas for art needed to take physical form, and that artists can and should write their own analysis of art. These writings were themselves as legitimate an art form as painting or sculpture.

In its rather short-lived annals, conceptual art managed to open up new possibilities for creative expression.

Novel narrative device

"I am interested in exploring a particular conceptual trajectory through the narrative device of the fable," says graphic artist Abhishek Hazra, who is heavily influenced by conceptual art. His exhibition bears a curious title, Some Fables On The Unstable Oscillation Of Uniformity. He explains: "Fables interest me as they set in motion an interesting tension between the grainy-ness of the particular and the fuzzy smear of the general."

The artist uses the language of graphic design and typography "to explore a terrain that is conceptually exciting" and admits to have borrowed from a whole range of visual and theoretical work that does not easily fit the categories of high art or conventional academic disciplines. "Technology, or rather the critical mediation of technology, remains a central preoccupation in my work."

Abhishek's fables are created as a sequence of still images and accompanying text. These are installed as a projection in the gallery. In addition to the projection, there is a set of six large-scale prints displayed along with a standalone sound installation. "One could see this project as a reflection on the process that stitches together the fabric of our reality," says Abhishek. "A reality that navigates both the `small voice' of the everyday and the larger theoretical structures we create, to grasp the nature of lived experience."

Strengths and limits

The resultant work on display at the gallery reveals both the strengths and limits of conceptual art. One does enjoy the immediacy of a purely visual experience in the projection of fables titled Oscillation, Instability, Uniformity and Travel. The abstract and often contradictory narratives are presented with technically adept and intellectually stimulating visual interpretation. Each work is marked by multiple layers of meaning and combines elements of fantasy and humour, even as a discerning viewer would perceive evocation of a socio-political commentary. In a couple of instances, the precision of mathematical logic manages to lead to intriguing psychological perceptions of both illusion and reality.

The show is, however, not without limitations. For the uninitiated viewer, the idiom of conceptual art in which Abhishek's work is located could be quite complex, tedious and even confusing. The rapidity of exchange of ideas and visuals could also be taxing, if not bewildering. This is specifically true for the sound installation, where the demanding if multifaceted construct seems to snatch away the possibility of an engrossing experience.

The exhibition concludes on July 16 at Galleryske, St. Mark's Road. Phone: 51120873 / 56951972.

Some conceptual artists

In 1965, American conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth questioned the relationship between objects, images, and words. His work titled One And Three Chairs consisted of a life-size photograph of a chair, an actual chair, and the dictionary definition of chair printed on a wall beside the first two.

Lawrence Weiner had the words "1000 German marks worth medium bulk material transferred from one country to another"(1969) printed on the gallery wall. In his conception, the piece need not be built at all; the words could simply be spoken and the piece imagined.

In 1969, Christo created his largest undertaking by wrapping a mile of the Australian coast in one million square feet of polyethylene. In the process, he actually modified the appearance of a cliff in the landscape.

ATHREYA

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