‘Open Secretz', an exhibition of paintings by Suja Anandan and Rejani S. R. lays bare all those inconvenient ‘truths', mostly pertaining to all things female. The exhibition, on at Durbar Hall Art Centre, concludes on July 18.
Both the artists are alumnae of the R. L. V. College of Fine Arts, Tripunithura. Rejani completed her MFA from RLV College whereas Suja is pursuing her MFA at Bangalore University (Jnanabharathi campus). They are as different as chalk and cheese. Rejani cannot extricate herself from the circumstances of living in society and for Suja the personal is the universal and this universal, very personal.
Rejani's works are serious; there is no escaping the weight of thought that has gone into the execution of each painting. Each painting engages society and norms in all earnestness. And the female, most of the time anatomical, becomes the site of the process of engaging. “I cannot withdraw into the subjective when I paint, it has to include the society that I live in and what I see around me,” says Rejani.
Therefore there are paintings such as ‘Hiccup', with a picture of the intestine, and there are tiny images of things that are missing from the lives of the financially-not-so secure. ‘Abortion', is the artist's impression of a uterus with kids, toys, a swing or a slide etc. which are in the process of being aborted. Rejani says the painting was the result of her stint as a teacher. “I saw how kids' desires were being stifled by the ambitions of parents,” she says. Or it can also be interpreted as unborn generations.
The paintings, straightforward as they may seem, are layered. Then there are paintings such as ‘Stain' installations such as the ‘Pink Pocket' which turn the spotlight on the female anatomy. Necessary? Artistic license! Interesting nevertheless. The works have a distinct touch of feminism, but was it intentional? No, says Rejani. For her it is a means of having a dialogue with her surroundings, she is a woman engaging with society as a woman. One of Rejani's installations have a certain old world charm. ‘Purse' is almost a dozen ‘rowkkas' worn by elderly women in olden days.
Suja's works on the other hand are playful. ‘The Revolution of Blindness' for instance, is a kitsch medley of colours and ideas. It is a fantastical painting, where fishes with human heads belch gas cylinder balloons, where the sun is a yellow spider…all borne out of her impressions of her life in Bengaluru. There are multi-storeyed buildings, helicopters with cows suspended from it besides other elements. ‘Dancers with weeping Breasts' is an interesting idea which has been executed in an even more interesting manner. Painted coconut shells with sad eyes are the breasts of wiggly shapes with twine heads on a gunny cloth. Eye-catching and fun. “I wanted to create a work that was interactive and that is what I have tried to do here,” she says.
Suja delves into the realm of the serious but with that light touch of fun. If with Rejani the preoccupation was the female then Suja experiments with the masculine and therefore there is ‘Egg Seller'. ‘Immolating flies', ‘Dancers on the Mount Meru' etc have balloons and dragon flies telling the story. ‘I'm me with my spiral eyes and violin hair' too falls in the fun category. There is an installation ‘Today's Supper' which is Suja's understanding/interpretation of being a woman. “These works are an expression of my experiences and impressions,” she says.
Through the art works on display Suja and Rejani have tried to do things differently without deliberately setting out to do that. But they have put up an exhibition that is decidedly different.
