KOCHI: Mind is an undefined sense, an element of a person, any living thing, that enables them to be aware of their experiences, to think, and to feel — the faculty of consciousness. However, how the mind perceives things and thoughts is still an unanswered question for neuroscience.
Interestingly, with his latest work, artist Shibu Shiv Ram traces that inexplicable connection between mind and reality. Titled Agnostic Geometry, the work is a play of colours on canvas. In warm hues and life-like textures, Shibu has tried to find whether other creatures perceive realities differently than humans. The Thiruvananthapuram native who is also an art teacher at Government Higher Secondary School for Girls Cottonhill (GGHSS), Vazhuthacaudu, has been giving colours and lines to his curiosity, the mysteries of human minds and the question of reality for almost a decade.
With 35 paintings in the series to date, Shibu says the driving force behind his works is a question that plagued him since childhood. “Are our senses and the mind inside the brain a reality? Do the forms that we observe through our eyes and perceive in our brain similar to how other creatures experience them?” he asks. The artist was not satisfied by the scientific observations and theories about the mind. So he set out on an exploration of mind and reality through art.
Known for contemporary abstract art practices, Shibu has been exploring neo-tantric types of paintings also through his series ‘Sight and Insight’. The paintings are a confluence of bright acrylic and oil hues, including neon orange, green and yellow, and shades of purple on black canvases. Most of them are left untitled by the artist. At first glance, the paintings seem similar to the microscopic visuals of living organisms.
“They are void of any meaning,” he explains. “The viewer can make their interpretations. Aside from exploring forms and vivid colours, in this series, I’ve added more dots. Also, the mix of agnosticism and the geometric influence has led me to name the series Agnostic Geometry, which I continue to explore.”
Shibu says he was able to work more on the series during the pandemic period.Russian avant-garde artist and theorist Kazimir Malevich and Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti were a great influence on his art affair.
“It was always a question in my mind since childhood. Whether the perceptions of our brain are illusions or not,” Shibu says. He found similar explorations in Kazimir’s works. “The way Kazimir used geometrical patterns also motivated me.” Since Shibu wanted to create his own mark as an artist, he drew inspiration from nature and added natural elements to the series. “As an artist, I focus more on textures, techniques, patterns and colour schemes than pursuing a theme,” he says.
According to Shibu, each of his creations takes time to reach completion. Once the base is set, he develops texture, pattern, light and shades. The artist has also explored surrealism in some works using watercolour as a medium.