Theatre traditions across the world have held masks in very high esteem, with a great deal of significance and emphasis being laid on delineating the identity of a character or highlighting his or her intrinsic mood. From the leather half-masks of the commedia dell’arte from the Italian theatre to the completely beatific and benign Serai-kela Chhau masks from Orissa, masks have covered some parts and revealed others of the innate albeit animated picture. In ritualistic traditions like Thheyyam from Kerala as well, masks are used to evoke spirits and energy.
Humankind is no different. We all wear masks that we take off or keep on, depending on the situation that we are in. How many of us actually have the faith in ourselves and the courage to reveal our true selves is a moot question. Masks overlap and merge to provide useful basis of categorisation, and so does the face, differentiating a person and articulating emotions consciously or unconsciously. In ancient Rome, the word “persona” meant mask, and akin to the human “persona” that holds millions of secrets and hide or reveal our feelings, personality and cultural identity, masks too have their distinctive characteristics. Artist Padman-abh Bendre’s exhibition “Faces, Mask, Conflict and Confluences” that opened in New Delhi this week is based on the concept of the mask, where the process is a ritual of abstract forms that gives life to the human face and depicts the lineage through several images.
Talking of lineage, Padmanabh’s own is a hoary one: He is the son of one of our great artists, N.S. Bendre. But unlike theatre, classical dance and music, contemporary art has no gharanas, and unlike the soft and lyrical style of the father, the son has had the courage to be different and create a style of his own where the forms are definitive and vivid.
“My works get the title of being abstract from the technique I use. I pour colour and tilt the canvas until I get the desired form. The whole procedure goes through several layers of colours that integrate forms, textures, colour, space and time itself. Each layer of colour poured onto the canvas holds mystery and shares many characteristics. Various forms, colours and textures bestow aesthetic taste in the genre of modern art,” says the artist, adding that the many variations in characteristics, where each one is a manifestation and a reflection of the inner expression, fascinate him.
The other major event this week was the Art Bull auction, initiated by Siddhartha Tagore, the director of Art Konsult Gallery and Amanpreet Singh. Contrary to expectations, considering that the market is pretty dull as far as sales are concerned, the auction saw many a master and quite a few upcoming ones disappear quickly under the hammer. Among the seniors, M.F. Husain, Arpana Caur, Ram Kumar and Jamini Roy were grabbed the fastest. Manjit Bawa’s very interesting work had to be withdrawn for conservation reasons.
However, Art Bull would do well to light the works properly, so the buyers are not left peering into the dark to see the works on the stage. Also, the selection needs to be more judicious. But these are only teething hassles, as the initiative is a welcome one and has the potential to soar.
The other major art initiative that has firmly established itself as part of the culturescape of the capital is the ongoing Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF). When Bharatnaty-am danseuse Prathibha Prahlad thought of it five years ago, I was privy to the concept and have shared her emotional journey and the angst that she goes through in putting it together and the endless wait for sponsorship and patronage. But for the sake of Delhi’s cultural identity, one can only hope the festival continues forever. This year, it has been especially well received with a virtual stampede at most venues.
The DIAF’s visual arts component’s offering of a hundred sculptures to mark the century as Delhi turns 100 was as grand as the city they are celebrating. Curated by Dashmeet Singh, it is set in two of the prettiest gardens of Lutyen’s Delhi — the Baikunth in the Hungarian Culture Centre and the Claridges Hotel; the show brings together artists both renowned and upcoming, and from India, Hungary and Zimbabwe. From India are seniors like Ram V. Suttar, Biman Bihari Das, Subodh Kerkar, Devi Dass Khatri, Neeraj Gupta, Dharmendra Rathore and Durga Kainthola among others. From Hungary are works by Piroska Fikner, Katalin Katona, Aranka Mez si Gérné, Ferenc Turcsányi, István Burai, József Magyar, Éva Pongrácz, Júlia Czeglédi, Zsuzsa Gajdán and Hajnalka Balázs. And from Zimbabwe are Angasa Amali, Temba Balamu and others.
Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator
and artist