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Review
‘The Individual and the Collective.’
Art writer Priya Pall observes how N.S.Harsha continues his engagement with the absurd and the nonsense, in his recent solo show, ‘Cultural Debris,’ held at Sakshi Art Gallery, Mumbai.
A body of works by the artist, N.S. Harsha, best known for socio-political pursuits articulated using techniques of the Indian narrative tradition, was on display at the recently held exhibition at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai. The exhibition titled ‘Cultural Debris,’ comprised a suite of 5 panoramic paintings that were realised over a period of two years, an accumulation of works, loosely strung together, as the title suggests.
 N.S. Harsha |
Through the works showcased in this exhibition, Harsha once again shows himself to be a true master of the game where he skilfully compels even the most casual of his audience to interact with the works at an exceedingly personal level by providing them with a sense of belonging to a larger collective. Ever the social theorist, Harsha plays with the collective consciousness of the autonomous individual and compels them to examine how they view themselves as part of a larger structure. However, the works presented here do not try to situate the audience within geographical, cultural or political boundaries. Moving away from the ‘everyday’ landscape which formed much of the locale for Harsha’s earlier works, these paintings enter a metaphysical space, where Harsha engages in the notions of human existence and anxieties related to a larger cosmic reality.
Within this context, Harsha presents us with the work titled ‘Self – Creator of Cultural Debris,’ where we see an elaborate self-portrait of the artist celebrating life by becoming a part of the biosphere, as he emerges from the rubble of physiological systems of the human body and pays homage to Earth. “I was amused by this thought of kissing the earth, he says. “ It is a personal tribute to the beauty of life and the fantastic journey one takes deep within.” The hands of the artist explode, exposing the organic body and so while having distinguished himself as the creator, he coerces us to accept and identify with him on a physiological level. He further builds on this sense of belonging by providing us with the essential prototypes of the human being placed in this mass of biological systems, stripped bare, but still enacting different social roles and so forming the very basis of human society, a larger structure that not only are we all a part of but also submit to and give a legible unity.
Harsha further elaborates on this proclivity of a consciousness shared by a plurality of persons, however, this time on a spiritual level, through an ingeniously composed work ‘Those Who Aren’t There Are Here.’ With light emanating from the centre of the canvas, and monk-like figures (that he admits to have been inspired from ‘Tintin in Tibet’) taking gigantic strides to move away from it, Harsha broaches the subject of our turmoil to reach that unknown, perfect State of Being. He questions our actions that constitute our karma. Those who are ‘not there’ or those who have not yet reached nirvana are ‘here,’ still entrapped in the narrow view of their everyday thoughts and immediate actions. The artist describes this work as “an attempt to capture the direction of ‘thought traffic’ of our time, where there is urgency of rushing out of canvas space into ‘here and now’! However, living gestural marks trap the figures in such a way that the prospect of return becomes impossible!”
Since one’s individual karma is manifested through a law – a law of cause and effect - like any other law, it too must remain the same for everyone with no distinction for the individual. Yet the emphasis is on the actions of an individual. As such, the work alludes to Eastern philosophies that typically hold that people are an intrinsic and inseparable part of the universe, and any attempt to discuss the universe from an objective viewpoint, or to consider the individual as something separate and detached from the universe as a whole, is inherently absurd.
Harsha is particularly interested in the absurd and the nonsense, and the manner in which these are intertwined with the cosmic or the universal present. Through his work ‘Communist Vandalism in Democratic Zoo,’ he examines vandalism as an interesting physical gesture that usually comes about in response to a strong intellectual belief. He looks upon it as an integral part of the thinking system where self-affirmation becomes the most important for an individual or a group of individuals and where the “nonsense” is embedded into a series of serious codes. Perhaps here one could even question the “consciousness” of each individual as not something which originates from a singular interior spirit, but rather is pressured into being by the external devices of the State. To secure this work in a sensory reality, the artist provides a mesh through which the work may be viewed, just as one would ‘view’ animals in a zoo.
Harsha refers to the above-mentioned work as “a picture of ‘nonsense’ which carries an image of collective belief and spots of the absurd.” Casting a bemused but amenable gaze at humankind and its follies, he expounds on the absurd with another work: ‘We don’t know why we are stitching plants.’ “My work is slowly moving towards the idea of meaninglessness or the absurd. It is a significant shift from my earlier engagement with specificity of ‘location’ (geographical/ political/ social/ cultural),” says Harsha. ‘We don’t know why we are stitching plants,’ is one of the first of his works to move in this direction where the title written on the painting itself declares a disassociation with the meaning in the gesture. “Though the gesture of stitching is pegged in reality, the plot is hidden in loss of gravity and the absurd act of stitching plants. I guess the thought is as absurd as the act portrayed! [....] I enjoyed the pleasant chaos created because of loss of gravity in human figures! It acts as a device to remove certain ideas of firmly grounded meaning in this painting and to venture into those areas of the obscure and the unknown.” Nonetheless, however absurd the act maybe, all members of the group are epitomised by it, and out of this shared context, meanings, content and patterns may be formulated within the group.
Finally, the works presented in this exhibition are brought together by one of Harsha’s earlier paintings ‘Creation of Gods.’ Realised in 2007, it is a continuation of the series ‘Cosmic Orphans.’ It depicts rows of tailors working on the same black fabric, festooned with stars and planets, as it winds itself from one machine to the next. Explicitly put by the artist himself: “since ages humans have mastered different techniques to weave ‘material reality’ into the tapestry of cosmic chaos or void. We have built remarkable designs or meanings to comfort our minds and lubricate our everyday thoughts. As an artist I am always tempted to portray this collective energy engaged in ‘production.’ A large group of people stitching textile is not an alien scene in today’s world. These human zones are being discussed under many socio-political banners of equalities. If one dissects further into these human labour zones, many unknown realities starts unfolding. At this juncture I stumbled upon a thought to portray the human labour which is engaged in unravelling the mystic. It is a long journey which has neither beginning nor end. The state of mind is the only reality.”
True to Harsha’s signature style, the works are panoramic in format but miniature in their rendition. Vast expanses are rendered intimate by highly detailed and individuated figures who, in their continual animated state, maintain a lively interplay between the minute and the whole. They constantly challenge the viewers to make their own discoveries of the whimsical, easily recognisable motifs and ingeniously placed details that simultaneously allow for an overall structure and for repetition and difference. The works are presented either in perfect grids or as entangled webs, both of which grant access to the artist to manipulate his audience from being casual passers-by into curious viewers who end up engaging with the works at a deeper level by connecting with the artist’s thoughts and experiencing the sense of belonging that the artist so skilfully induces in them through his works.
Following the exhibition at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai (www.sakshigallery.com), Victoria Miro Gallery and INIVA will be presenting the first solo shows in London by NS Harsha. At Victoria Miro the artist will present a series of new paintings and an installation created especially for the exhibition titled Picking through the Rubble, from 10 October to 14 November, 2009 whilst at INIVA he will present his monumental installation Nations from 18 September to 21 November. For details visit: www.iniva.org and www.victoria-miro.com
(Priya Pall is an independent art consultant and curator. Appointed as the Projects Curator for India Art Summit™ 2009, she has studied at the National Museum Institute, New Delhi and at the Sotheby’s Institute, London. She lives in New Delhi, where she has been working in the field of art and culture since 1995 - with a focus on contemporary Indian art since 2005. email: priyapall@gmail.com)
