Have you ever reflected on creation and consciousness; the concept of being; what happens when we die; what is the source of energy, etc? Artist Seema Kohli’s vibrant works in the ‘Golden Womb- Dawn of Time’ exhibition at Kalakriti Art Gallery helps one dwell on and seek answers to these questions. Her works across different media including paintings, sculptures, drawings and installations have been displayed here.
What is the inspiration behind your exhibition ‘Golden Womb – Dawn of Time’?
The canvas itself is the inspiration. The space offers itself to me. It becomes the lives, energy and idea; a question of everything.
You speak about the omnipresent energy - the force and concept behind your works. How did you experience ‘the energy’ during your initial days?
Swaas toh wohi hai, magar uska usage badal jaata hai. The energy is the same and in abundance. Its utilisation, how to imbibe it and utilise it has changed. I have begun to work in a lot of other media. Earlier, I used to work in drawings, then moved to painting on paper then painting on canvas. Later it was sculptures, installations, then paintings on sculptures; Performance is also there. All these are sort of expansion and distribution of that energy. Ek soot hai magar ek jagah woh towel hai, doosri jagah silk, shirt ya sari bangaya . They all have their own sense of beauty.
Tell us about how you discovered ‘Hiranya Garbha’ (the golden womb) while studying the Yajur Veda.
From the beginning, I was always working on balance and the balance of energies. When my mother passed away, we had a homam at home. The priest was explaining the mantra Om Hiranya garba samavartak ... It was about the many universes and many more suns which have been created and which are dancing to the rhythm of the breath of supreme consciousness in his lap and there is nothing which is dead. It is constantly evolving, recycling and being recreated positively. This was the most unusual explanations of the mantra.
So how did you begin to explore in the mantra artistically?
It is the interpretation, then you experience and constantly seek; it is never ending. This is not in this mantra alone; when I went through Greek mythology, I read about a symbol Ouroboros, which is a snake biting its own tail. It rejuvenates itself constantly. It is like a soul which never ends and positively recycles. These are intrinsic tools of nature. I have got it through this mantra, but they are there for everyone whichever faith they may profess. It could physical, physiological, psychological, spiritual and intellectual and there is a garbh (womb) which always brings about something new.
You also worked with make-up artist Perera.
I was very fascinated with the work of a good make-up artist Dilki Perera from Sri Lanka. Through make-up, I was a snake, elephant, bird, cow, different kinds of human beings.
We were trying to express that the soul remains same as it passed through all these units. Whether it was due to exhaustion or the experience I was going through, I fell sick. Because I am not a trained actor, I didn’t know how to disassociate from that. I had to stop the process and created many more after this show.
They are all photographs and I have also made 84 paintings.
Also one realises that one gets stuck to these identities. It is a fluid situation where the energy is constantly changing its form. It gets tired of one form and moves on to something else. There is complete detachment as far as energy is concerned.
