Jenny's MokshaShots

I was stunned out of my morning reverie by what I initially thought were Buddhist prayer horns, but actually were the sound of fumigators. "Fumigator" has such a deadly ring to it. Moving from spirituality to the thought of a smoky death in a moment was the highlight of my walk.

Another surprise was seeing two of Jenny Bhatt's paintings from her MokshaShot series at an art exhibition at the Mumbai University convocation hall this evening. Ironically, I had chatted with her about her work at the Museum Gallery last Sunday. This particular series of works reminded me of Rorschach inkblots and art from the psychedelic era. However, the colour combinations she uses are contemporary, and the ambiguity of the shapes, reminiscent of water colour strokes, create a range of references to femininity, fusion/creation, and sexuality. The stretched ovals remind you of mandalas and the primordial egg; the influence of Tantric art is apparent.

Jenny includes golden intertwined lines that wobble in and out of myriad eggs, accompanied by odd creatures that look like cartoons of aliens or insects. Have you seen spilled petrol on the ground as it breaks-up into the colours of a rainbow? Don't these lines remind you of that pool of petrol?

Kerala moves to Mumbai

I just got back from an amazing concert. An army of bare-chested, lunghi-clad musicians from Kerala, with their drums, cymbals and circular trumpets, enthralled its audience into a trance. One observer, a slightly built, greying man was in the throes of ecstasy as the music reached one of its many climaxes. He gestured commandingly at the audience, encouraging them to move their bodies to the music, while occasionally throwing his white handkerchief into the air and then deftly catching it. The people around him didn't mind too much, and just smiled at him. I was quite surprised by the audience's tolerance; I expected someone to nudge at him or make a rude comment.

It's been a while since I've had a "perfect" experience. This was definitely one such rare occasion. The music was devoid of melody, and comprised the pounding of various instruments at unimaginable speeds and intensities, resulting in a mind-bogling cacophony of noise. The rhythms were new to my ears, and the feeling of listening to something completely alien, was exhilarating. The music often seemed martial, like an introduction to war, especially when the cymbal players went berserk. It was a very physical form of music, loud and dominating and therefore reminded me of hard psychedelic trance.

Bored at Jehangir Art Gallery

I drop by Jehangir Art Gallery often, and more often than not, come out with a feeling of smug superiority, thinking I could have done much better. But there's always a surprise lurking somewhere in the gallery. It may just be one painting in an ocean of art that gets you thinking. Pritish Nandy's exhibit called Bored, was an exception, in that all his works got me thinking. I wouldn't call it good art, but it was different and attracted my attention.

You get a strong sense of Nandy's advertising and commercial background; selling an idea is in his blood, even if it's poetry. His works are very self-conscious and well thought-through. There seem to be no accidents. The craftsmanship on each canvas was very good and the text was very clear (it may have been screen-printed for precision). But when commercial media and poetry meet, the product just doesn't have the authenticity of an artwork created by a "true" artist or a poet. I know there's nothing such as a "true" artist, but what I mean is someone who is naturally creative and not self-consciously so.

Each of his short poems seemed like copy for advertisements. Most of them were perceptive, and did strike an emotional chord in you, but at the same time, predictable.

Kerala: Christian Imagery and Churches

The history of Chrisitanity in Kerala goes back to the visit of St. Thomas in 52 AD. However much of the current imagery is reminiscent of Italian Renaissance paintings and sculptures and seem to be derived from Italian Catholicism. There are a number of direct references to Raphael's Transfiguration of Christ, and Michelangelo's Pieta. Orthodox Syrian Christian imagery is also a relatively common sight.





I just read on the web (http://www.ananthapuri.com/kerala-history.asp?page=christian) that Christianity in Kerala has been influenced by Syrian, Portuguese, Dutch, English (protestant) and American brands of the religion over the past 2000 years. The history of Christianity in Kerala therefore mirrors to some extent the development of the religion internationally, and the rise and fall of European Christian powers and their adopted ideology. To complicate this further, the local Christians have also had their share of rifts and break-aways resulting in a mind-boggling variety of Christian sects. This may explain the drastically different styles used in Church designs. Some use Gothic elements, others are a product of wildly modern sensibility. You also have classic Italian/Portuguese designs for churches built during the 1600-1700s.

Kerala: Christian Wayside Shrines

I was fascinated by the Christian way-side shrines scattered along the roads in Kerala on my last trip there about 4 years ago. This time I took a number of photos to see how each was different. Some of them strangely resemble Islamic minarets, and are also reminiscent of Hindu road-side temples - quite a concoction. They are usually three to four-story brick and concrete structures exhibit amongst others, statues of Jesus, St. Francis, St. Sebastian, St. George, The Virgin Mary and Joseph protected by a glass casing or grills. Some designs are amazingly modern such as this Pieta, some have Gothic references. I wonder what the origin of these structures is. Or is this a purely an Indian invention? An interesting inversion is that some Hindu gods are now displayed in a similar fashion, albeit on a smaller scale.

I also find an interesting parallel between fast-food and these wayside shrines (both Hindu and Christian for that matter.) Just as you drive by a McDonalds for a burger or fries to fill you stomach, during one's hectic day you can easily get a little bit of prayer in on the way home or to work, to satiate your soul.