Each of the 208 works that Nalini Misra Tyabji has put up at Visual Arts Gallery, her new exhibition, testifies her nonconformity to established expectations. Titled Form.Less, it reaches out with an extemporaneous approach to art.
Divinity dominates her tapestry, with lucid, whimsical constructions of dashavataras, devis, matrikas and mythological figures. She attributes it to the formlessness of what we hold as godly.
Mythology and folklore reign as primary elements of depiction.
Tyabji admits that she was full of trepidation for this show because the number of artworks required to cover the gallery would either have to be huge or very large. “It became obvious that we would have to go with the former. The reason was that no matter what medium I used, it had to be extremely fluid because that’s what I prefer. And, no matter what size the painting, I cannot work on an easel and have to lay my paper or canvas on a table or the floor.”
For abstracts, she simply throws paint onto the canvas and lets it decide the course. Till doubt persists, the layers increase till a meaningful conclusion. “The more abstract a painting, the louder the volume of my music. It helps drown all background noises and keeps me focused,” says Tyabji.
As a young girl, the Mahabharata had made a great impression on her, which, she says, might be the reason for her gravitation towards mythology. “I found Krishna’s personality prolific. He became a recurring part of my iconography. I envisioned him as androgynous.” In this exhibition, you see 13 vibrant forms of Krishna including lying under a mushroom or sitting on cricket or conversing with a frog. “I am celebrating the Sookshma Roop (subtle form) of Krishna that I see as a divine matrix or web that knits together every single atom of this Universe.”
Tyabji has upheld the notion of ardhnarishwar (half male half female divine being). “I am a humanist and make no distinctions between genders, castes and religions. The female is half the species and half of the key to the whole.”
Till: November 27 At: Visual Arts Gallery, IHC