To take Omar Khayyam’s epic metaphor ‘The Moving Finger Writes’ and create a show of calligraphic haunts is indeed an act of visual and verbal splendor. Meet Aiyana Gunjan who unconsciously invites the human gaze as she creates a suite of works that meld the fine art of calligraphy with the power of meditation.
In Puducherry, her ongoing show curated by Dr Alka Pande is keeping time with the tide of life, and you can sense the rhythms of her hand finding consonance with the rhythms of the sea. When asked about the confluence of calligraphy and meditations, Aiyana says, “In calligraphy, your hand is united with your mind and soul when you create the stroke on the paper. Like one breath, each stroke has a definite start and an end and a life in between. I find a life lived in each stroke and nothing can be more meditative than that.”
Aiyana believes that an entire consciousness is centred in that stroke. You dip the pen in the ink pot, pause and then allow the pen to lead you on the dance floor of the paper. “It’s like singing an alaap in a raga,” she says, adding, “You savour the nuance in each note, in each stroke. It’s about the slowness, the consciousness in each living breathing stroke.”
In many ways, Aiyana’s works remind one of the great artist Mohammed Ehsai. As a calligrapher, Ehsai’s work establishes traditional sacred scripture or calligraphy in a modern context by transforming the traditional script into his own unique style of calligraphic painting, which seeks to transmute calligraphy into new forms of abstraction. Aiyana also does the same, by introducing new approaches to proportion, ratio and symmetry in calligraphy, taking inspiration from Western abstraction and Chinese brush painting. This approach evokes multiple modes of interpretation beyond the mere visual component by challenging the traditional boundaries of calligraphy. Like Ehsai, Aiyana too incorporates modern techniques and creates original compositions.
Her best works are the indigo series—a striking depiction of semi-abstract black calligraphic strokes that run like ripples rather sensually across the jet-blue/beige void creating a complex visual maze on sheets of paper. Her broad fluid brushstrokes and sensitive depictions are laden with spiritual meaning due to the her meditative background. The works reflect the fact that Aiyana has studied calligraphic alphabets in great depth to make it part of her oeuvre.
“For me, studying the lines and forms of alphabets was like sketching trees, flowers and man,” Aiyana affirms. “Each alphabet of different scripts fascinated me. There is a strict form and discipline in each. The art of calligraphy lies in knowing the form of letter, and then playing and creating beauty in it. It’s like the musical notes and ragas. You got to create your new pattern within the foundational structure. And that’s where the art lies,” she says.