There is one more addition to the list of galleries in the city. The Egg Art Studio as the name suggests intends to be an incubator for young and emerging artists from across the world. On April 9, Amrita Varma and Tavleen Akoi Gill open the door of their gallery with “Genesis — The Veil”, a group show featuring artists like Anoop Kamath, Fanil Pandya, Ritu Kamath, Atul Bakshi, Ketan Amin, Manoj Dwivedi, Natalia Natasha Maryenko, Nikhel Mahajan, Rajiv Kumar, Raj Lalwani, Saurabh, Shafi Quraishy, Shampa Sircar Das, Shijo Jacob, Ushmita Sahu, Venugopal VG, Vipul Prajapati, Hojat Amani and Yogesh Mahida. A particularly interesting artist is Hojat Amani from Iran whose ‘Angel’ series would be part of the show. Here, Hojat talks about how he has incorporated the tradition of curtain paintings, calligraphy, mythology and photography to create an art work to make the viewer smile.
Edited excerpts:
What led to the birth of your 'Angel' series which is now so well-known?
The work is a body in progress. It’s a mentally fluid part of my artistic portfolio and at any period it comes as a series depending on what challenges my mind in the appearance in angels’ forms. This body of work refers to the time when I was an art student and I could draw without any pre-contemplation. When an ink drop dropped on my paper, I would play with it and it would turn into an angel. This was the beginning of my contemplations about angels, and thinking on how I could create contemporary angels with new narratives and new experiences.
Can you describe the genre of Iran's curtain paintings that your angel series draw from?
Upon reaching the realisation that I was going to be inspired by the curtain paintings, I went on to create the wings and carry them around Iran for the following three years during which time one experienced the metamorphosis of the numerous subjects into divine angels as they posed before these wings. Behind my photos I acted similar to naqali (storytelling) which is a verbal expression of events or stories in lyrics or prose by means of solo performance in Iran. It is said to have been found after genesis and development of the world. Some pundits juxtapose it to hymns, praise dance, the oldest and the simplest form of drama which is believed to be the origin of multiplayer theatre. The subject matters of naqali are about super heroes in the legends and myths. The aim of naqali is to entertain the spectators and stimulate their emotions by telling charming fables, expressing his feelings and spiritual mastery. I had a curtain that was painted with two wings and I put across my story about my idea as well as I encouraged them to play with me.
What role can art play in today's times which is ridden with greed, poverty, war, terrorism, technology?
I am Middle Eastern and in my culture, art represents beauty with pleasure and is much deeper than just material or financial purchase. In my artwork, I strive to explore paradise in my imagination. At the same time, I understand the suffering of my surroundings such as racial discrimination, rape, freedom of expression, dictatorship, religious restrictions and favouritism. I have experienced hunger, poverty, and war in the past but I don’t want to focus on it in my work. My intention is to provide relief, similar to a plant or tree, which transforms the glaring light from the sun and dirty air from the sky into beautiful light and fresh air. Through this process, I will be the one who devours sorrow and attempts to communicate hope and joy to my audience. I believe that art is a miracle and by using it I want to make people feel better.
How important is calligraphy to your art? Does it become another element or just embellish your work?
I entered the world of art through calligraphy and I have known that calligraphy itself can’t entirely have an easy dialogue with people and is not as popular. So I realised that I had to find a way to join the traditional with the modern in order to give my viewers a cathartic purification and a promise of freedom from the difficulties of contemporary life. For me calligraphy works are similar to other painting elements and I use it not only for words but to give a new concept to my idea.
Have you shown in India earlier? Are you interested in Indian mythology and culture?
No, I have not. But it’s my favourite place where I have wanted to show for the longest time. I am happy that I have found a good place in India to show. And yes, that is true. Winged creatures have played a prominent role in the collective unconscious of the people of the East and Asia. I think my work is closer to Indian culture and mythology than to western culture.
(The exhibition is on till April 9)
