Every work of art is a conversation between the artist and his inner self, his viewers and society in general.
But Destination Asia — Flying Over Stereotypes — Conversation Part 1 , an exhibition at Elementa Gallerie takes this idea further by presenting a dialogue between artists from various parts of Asia.
The exhibition is the result of a project called “Destination Asia” that has brought together curators and artists from India, Pakistan and Central Asia to create a better understanding of each other through artistic interaction in the form of artist residences, seminars, exhibitions and publications.
This exhibition includes photographs, paintings, videos and installations by 14 artists involved in the project.
The artists worked independently and have used symbols and themes rooted in their own cultures, yet there is a common thread in the issues they address such as the role of women in society, the effects of urbanisation, the pain of migration and dispossession, and people’s search for identity in rapidly changing Asian societies.
Not surprisingly, terrorism, militarisation of society and the futility of conflict are themes that concern many of the artists.
While Kazakh artist Oksana Shatalova’s beautiful photographs, Mimicry, study camouflage patterns created by light on leaves and flowers, Nadia Shaukat from Pakistan expresses her views on terrorism and the changing role of women in modern times through cut-outs of guns and hearts pasted on top of her botanical drawings of plants.
Indian Vibha Galhotra’s digital series depicts soldiers, not in a war area but in a sprawling metropolis.
Wearing a uniform printed with a collage of the cityscape, the soldier’s presence is cleverly camouflaged as he poses for the artist against the backdrop of the houses and narrow bylanes of a city.
Impressions of life
Hamra Abbas’s Battle Scenes is an animated video created from the Pakistani artist’s photographs of people on the streets of London to present vignettes of the battles we fight in our daily lives.
Equally incisive is Almagul Menibaeva’s performance art video The Eternal Bride. Dressed as a bride, the artist wanders through the city offering insights into the society she lives in and the changing role of women in Kazakhstan.
Her compatriot Said Alabekov’s video, Walkman, features a villager trudging across the countryside carrying a huge musical instrument on his back as an allusion to the country’s slow but sure progress.
Tushar Joag’s photographs are also accompanied by a video of the making of this profound series, Looking for Flora.
Using a lifesize model of Mumbai’s iconic Flora Fountain as a metaphor for Flora, the goddess of abundance, the artist makes a powerful statement about a city that attracts thousands searching for a better life.
Pakistani artist Adnan Madani explores the dynamics between law and individual transgressions and between ideologies and practices through his photographic series, Self Portrait with Ideology, and an empty bottle emblazoned with the words “I did not drink the contents of this bottle”.
“Rather than religious texts, I chose to use Mao’s Red Book to reflect my interest in the texts and ideologies behind laws. In a sense, the iconic book with the sayings of Chairman Mao is peculiarly dislocated and irrelevant in Pakistan today, and that is what attracts me to it,” Madani said.
“The bottle is part of a series of works with objects that can be considered residues from transgressive acts.
"It seeks to transform the act of the consumption of something that is forbidden by law by making the object a legitimate work of art, which is consumed visually in a public space,” he added.
Range of media
Risham Syed’s Lahore 1847 and 2008 — a patchwork quilt with a hand-painted map of the city — and Justin Ponmany’s digitally manipulated close-ups of people identified by their name and address in Mumbai examine identity and globalisation.
Kazakh artist Yerbossyn Meldibekov explores the same theme with his collage, Chingiz Khan’s Map, created from pictures of horseflesh.
The artist also comments on the past and present through his striking art installation titled Monument to a Hero.
Consisting of four horse legs in full trot emerging from a white base, the sculpture is his cynical statement on the installation of monuments to historical personalities and perhaps his desire for a modern hero.
Pushpamala N. addresses issues of gender, identity and change through her innovative photographic series, Phantom Lady or Kismet. Dressed in a variety of theatrical costumes, the artist places herself in imaginary situations — ranging from being a gangster’s moll to a suave society woman.
The black-and-white pictures evoke memories of famous yesteryear Indian films and icons such as Fearless Nadia, while making a statement about the perceived role of women in society.
Shakuntala Kulkarni takes this feminine viewpoint and indeed the concept of “conversation” further with her unique display titled And When She Roared the Universe Quaked.
Her glass paintings of women, depicted both as aggressive warriors and passive victims, have been carefully arranged on the ceiling of an enclosed display area.
Visitors are invited to view these works through a hand-held mirror.
As their own reflections merge with images of other visitors and those of the women on the ceiling, Kulkarni engages her viewers in a multilayered conversation.
Destination Asia — Flying Over Stereotypes — Conversation Part 1 will run at Elementa Gallerie in the Dubai Airport Free Zone until July 12.
Jyoti Kalsi is a UAE-based art enthusiast.
