CHENNAI: Lotus flowers, vine orchids, banana flower, lily leaves, palm fronds and anthuriums — all aesthetically arranged in different vases — a car steering column, an Indian jar, a rustic kettle and other glass and ceramic containers, are some of things you can find when you enter the Sogetsu Ikebana art exhibition on ‘Exploring Movement, Expressing Shakthi’ at Focus Art Gallery, Egmore, organised by The Sogetsu Study Group in Chennai.
Over the years Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, which is a temple art, and an offering by the Buddhist priests, has moved into mainstream Japanese culture and other parts of the world. Malathi Pandurangan, chairperson of the Sogetsu study group in the city, has been practising it for over 40 years.
“I learnt this art in New Delhi. When I moved to Chennai, I was surprised that Ikebana wasn’t known here. That’s when I began teaching it. We have about nine certified Ikebana teachers (certified by Sogetsu School, Tokyo) and 20-odd members,” she says.
Ikebana is guided by the aesthetics of asymmetry minimalism, line and space and colour harmony. “It relieves stress. From picking the flowers, cutting them to arranging them creatively, the whole process clams your mind,” shares Malathi.Talking about the theme of the exhibition, she adds that the movement brings dynamism to art expressions. “We have explored different movements through various visual expressions,” she says.
For instance, the upward movement of the flower is sublime, and the hanging/falling movement suggests discovery or search. Similarly, the other movements like entwining and swirling are other expressions of the life force or Shakti.
“The containers in which the arrangements have been made are a combo of traditional and contemporary expressions. They have allowed us to visualise and verbalise these movements,” she points out.
The group conducts monthly workshops and annual exhibitions in the city, and also curate on request, flower decor projects with a difference. “The cost of procuring these flowers in Chennai is high. So, we work with a lot of foliage that are available. It is also interesting to note how the culture of offering flowers — the origin of the art — is similar in both India and Japan,” she adds.