KOCHI: As an artist who is deeply inspired by Belgian Surrealist Rene Magritte, Tensing Joseph’s work has both elements of reality and fiction. Tensing, 57-year-old former principal of Fine Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram, is a native of Thodupuzha, Idukki. Two of his works ‘The Mad of Macondo’ and ‘Confess’ were recently displayed at Parampara, a painting exhibition held at Museum auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram.
In ‘The Mad of Macondo’, Tensing has tried to recreate the imaginary land of Macondo, which forms the setting for Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s noble prize-winning novel ‘One Hundred Years Of Solitude’. One of the images in the painting is of Marquez reading a book atop a green bird. “The bird signifies the magical realism that exists in Marquez’s literature. I tried to associate with that idea to create a similar magical scene on my canvas”, said Tensing.
Another painting ‘Confess’ is an effort to capture the spirit of a Christian confession. The work shows two figures during a confession. The priest who receives confession has the head of a bird while the skull of a deer is placed on the body of of the girl. According to Tensing, the bird’s head indicates the spiritual transformation the priest undergoes during the confession. While the deer’s head signifies innocence. “This is a paradoxical experience and depicts two contrasting aspects,” said the artist.
Tensing had highlighted the loss of fertile agricultural lands due to the overuse of pesticides resulting in eradication of earthworms in the exhibition ‘Earthworms’ organised at Travancore Art Gallery in 2018. This was the only series where Tensing did not use any synthetic colours. “I used soil and gum instead of paint. Soil has been the one constant entity on the planet. It been there since the birth of time and is connected to history, ancient agriculture and even prehistoric art such as cave paintings”, he added.
Before becoming a painter, Tensing was into making sculptures. While pursuing his M F A at Shantiniketan, Visva Bharati University, Tensing was fascinated by the terracotta paintings in Bishnupur and Durgapur. “I was living close to the sculptures made by Ramkinker Baij, the father of modern sculpture. I could see his monumental sculptures through the windows of the house where I stayed during my time at Shantiniketan. Perceiving his works at close quarters helped me hone my sculpting skills”, Tensing said.
His career as a painter started after he returned to Thiruvananthapuram. He had earlier been in the city while doing his BFA in Sculpture from Fine Arts College. “When I returned, I turned my attention to painting for the next ten years. It was during this time that I participated in the Russian Biennale held in 2012 in Moscow. In the years following I attended many national and international seminars, workshops and competitions”, said the artist.
On being asked what makes an artist, Tensing said, “Craft, imagination and observation are essential along with the ability to dream and perceive. As artists, we get influenced by our experiences, cinema, literature, poetry as well as the images we notice in public places.” He currently lives in Vattappara along with his family.