At a time when art is being scrutinised for its uniqueness and cognition, and AI can generate a piece in seconds, there is Safrin Ashra, who has been instrumental in getting people together to explore their artistic talent. Through her Chaos Club, patrons of art and art enthusiasts alike are encouraged to explore and create paintings. Her aim is to let them all experience and have fun with the process of creating art without the worries of creating “good” art.
Talking about the club’s origin, Safrin says, “I wondered during my graduation days in Fine Arts, how it would be if the great artists we praise were here today. What if they saw the world we see and depicted it in their painting?” What started as an intimate gathering in December last year with close friends, slowly gained more participation by word of mouth.
Eventually she incorporated the idea of organising the Monthly Muse in March this year. Under it, Safrin chooses an artist. All the participants, along with the facilitator of the workshop, learn about the artist’s “madness, obsession, feelings, history, and socio-circumstances in order to bring the idea ‘What if the artist were here today?’ to life,” she explains, confessing to basing her workshops on Mark Twain’s quote: “There is no such thing as a new idea. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. Viewing them in our own beliefs and experience makes them something new.”
Following a quick history recap of the month’s chosen artist, participants pick any one of the respective artist’s work as their inspiration and create their own interpretation. Participants are also encouraged to proceed with their works once it gives them an idea of how the artist expressed himself. “If an artist represents her life through a symbol, you can represent your own through the one you create. Artist Frida Kahlo, for instance, expressed herself through self-portraits; so participants were encouraged to express themselves through their own self-portraits,” she adds. For the founder, it mirrors her own experience. “We are using that artist as a mirror. What we see in that mirror, what moves us, what unsettles us, what we want to steal, will always be a reflection of our own inner world.” Safrin says.
These workshops have also helped Safrin nurture healthy arguments, nudging her to unlearn and relearn. Adding a layer to these workshops is following a particular medium. For the first workshop on Spanish artist Salvador Dali, the theme was Surreal Images, which meant working with prints and cutters. For the second on Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, the focus was on embroidery. The recent one on Raja Ravi Varma focused on Cyanotype prints. “Art doesn’t always have to carry a meaning. It’s up to the participants. If I give you a box, either to stay within the box or to come out of it is totally up to you. But you must know that the box exists,” she says.
While the workshops so far have been held for adults, Safrin plans to start one for children too. “When I get an idea, I don’t feel like wasting it,” she says, concluding, “A 70-year-old who walked into this workshop was able to unlearn and take up new ideas. That is very rewarding for me as a host.”
The Monthly Muse is held every month at Backyard, Adyar. It is open to people aged 16 and above. The artist for June is Leonardo Da Vinci. For details, visit @the_chaos.club on Instagram