Jyoti Singh calls herself a hammer lady at heart. “I love taking that hammer and just banging away at copper,” laughs the New Delhi-based enamellist and potter, who is part of an upcoming group exhibition in Bengaluru titled ‘Air Fire Earth.’
Singh, who will be showcasing her work alongside Avanti Mehta and Rupa Samaria, says that the concept for the exhibition arose from each artist’s interests.
While Samaria’s realistic bird paintings are a nod to the air component of the title, Mehta’s various animals, in enamel, represent the earth. “Fire seemed the most obvious for me because I work with the kiln,” says Singh, a ceramic artist who trained at Delhi’s Blue Pottery Studios before venturing into enamel in 2006.
“It is fired art like ceramic, but there is an instant gratification. You put the powdered glass onto the metal, place it in the kiln, and pull it out while it is red-hot. And suddenly, in front of your eyes, it starts forming,” she adds.
Jyoti Singh’s enamel on steel plate artwork
In good company
Singh’s travels often seep into her work, be it the vast, arid landscapes of Ladakh or the native American and Mexican influences one sees in the southwest of the US.
Jyoti Singh’s enamel on steel plate artwork
The idea for the exhibition arose earlier this year, when the three artists wanted to make art to connect with the natural world in their unique way. While Singh and Mehta knew each other through The Enamelist Society of India, a collective of enamel artists from across the country, Singh had met Rupa at a bird festival in Ladakh.
Singh is the secretary of the The Enamelist Society of India, which was founded by the artist Veenu Shah 20-odd years ago to further the ancient craft of fusing coloured, powdered glass with metal, and has core members in Delhi and Mumbai. “I have learnt the craft, but use it as an art,” says Singh, who works with copper and steel to create her collection of wall pendants, sculptures and statement pendants.
Avanti Mehta’s enamel on copper artwork
Spreading awareness
Mehta’s artwork, while equally contemporary, is very different in aesthetics and technique: she uses a fretsaw to hand-cut her pieces, creating a lattice-like backdrop onto which she enamels various plants and animals. “It is the cutting of copper that fascinates me,” admits the artist who holds a degree in wildlife management. As does the natural world, evident from the luna moth, red panda, chameleon and a hare, enamelled onto her latticed copper.
Rupa Samaria’s acrylic on canvas artwork
Rupa Samaria’s artwork
Samaria’s work also strives to drive a message of awareness and conservation, specifically of birds that fascinate her with their uniqueness and striking plumage. Even today, she remembers the sound and sight of the sparrows she regularly encountered while growing up in Patna. “I miss them,” says the trained artist and educator, who hopes to sensitise and introduce young people to the stunning world of birds through her art. She researches extensively on various birds before recreating them, using different mediums and forms, including oil paintings, sculpture and interactive art. “I would like to save birds by creating awareness through my paintings,” she concludes.
‘Air Fire Earth’ will be held at the Bangalore International Centre from November 3-9.
preeti.zachariah@thehindu.co.in
