Sujata Bajaj: Peregrination of Colour

Ambika Rajgopal of Saffronart announces the upcoming exhibition of Sujata Bajaj at Indigo Blue Art, Singapore.

London: The word ‘peregrination’ makes complete sense when seen in the context of Sujata Bajaj’s new series- Peregrination of Colour, showing at Indigo Blue Art Gallery, Singapore. A quick glance at a dictionary clarifies the meaning of the word, which means ‘to walk or travel over’. Bajaj infuses her canvas with colour in such a dynamic way, that the hues literally travel all over the canvas, leading the eye across its expanse.

Bajaj’s relationship with colours has seen a lot of different influences. Originally hailing from Rajasthan, where colours are the celebratory essence of day-to-day living, her life journey landed her to embrace diverse traditions. Bajaj graduated from SNDT College, Pune in Art and Painting, before going on to pursue a PhD in Indian tribal art, where the focus of her thesis was on tribal art and its influence on contemporary art. After completion of her doctorate, through the patronage of S. H. Raza, Bajaj was awarded a scholarship by the French government and attended the prestigious École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

From every step in her journey, Bajaj picked up aesthetic components so as to form a unique pastiche, where Occidental modernism fused with Indian visual language of tribal art.

…in the ochre yellow and red palette, we are recalled into the ritual circle of sacrifice; a hero-stone, a tribal totem, a lost goddess of fertility is suggested by certain motifs; and in the elegant calligraphy of the sacred texts, the hymns repeated until the pitch of perfection has been achieved.- Ranjit Hoskote

Though currently based in Paris, Bajaj amalgamates an underlying profound ethnicism into her art practice. From incorporating texts from Sanskrit documents like the Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata, to paying homage to the sacrosanctity of colours. Bajaj elaborates:

For me, red is everything. It has passion, it has violence, it has energy, it has love and aggression, it is the colour of divinity in India. Red is saffron; it is the colour of meditation. As a colour, it has so much power. In India, it is connected to marriage, because we wear red when we marry. Red carries all the meanings of life.

Ascent, 2005, Sujata Bajaj. Image Credit: http://www.saffronart.com/auctions/PostWork.aspx?l=2278

Ascent, 2005, Sujata Bajaj. Image Credit: http://www.saffronart.com/auctions/PostWork.aspx?l=2278

Perhaps this is why the colours occupy such a strong pivotal focus in her work. She offsets the colours with bold black lines intrepidly traversing the frame. Far from being meditative, Bajaj’s canvases pulsate with the energy of the vibrant hues she uses. At the same time, they are controlled by the deliberate strokes of the neutral blacks and whites.

Untitled, Sujata Bajaj. Image Credit: http://www.saffronart.com/auctions/PostWork.aspx?l=8396

Untitled, Sujata Bajaj. Image Credit: http://www.saffronart.com/auctions/PostWork.aspx?l=8396

Bajaj will be present on the exhibition preview on 10 October, from 6.30 to 9 pm to sign copies of her coffee table book, L’Ordre du monde.

The show is on view from the 10th October till the 22nd November 2013. This will be Bajaj’s first solo exhibition in Singapore.

For more information, please access the gallery website.

Beyond Canvas: Paintings on Paper and Metal Sohan Qadri & Nathan Slate Joseph

Ambika Rajgopal of Saffronart discusses Sohan Qadri’s show at Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York.

London: Sundaram Tagore Gallery in New York brings together two distinct, yet corresponding artists, well known for their ingenious use of materials. The two artists Sohan Qadri and Nathan Slate Joseph are known to transform the nature of the material they work with.

Using abstraction to convey transcendence, he is the pre-eminent aesthetic mystic of modernism. Donald Kuspit on Qadri

Sohan Qadri first made a mark for himself when he combined art with spirituality. He renounced representational art in favour of abstraction, which for him was a means to attain transcendence. He was deeply influenced by Buddhism and Tantric motifs became a regular feature in his work.

Untitled, 2008, Sohan Qadri. Image Credit: http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/5088-sohan-qadri

Untitled, 2008, Sohan Qadri. Image Credit: http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/5088-sohan-qadri

Having spent a significant part of life abroad, journeying through East Africa, North America and Europe, Qadri did amalgamate Western Minimalism as a feature of his art. But at the same time, he was patriotically faithful to the rich Indian palette of Sindoori reds, peacock blues and intense oranges.

Before starting to paint, Qadri would oversaturate heavy sheets of paper with water. His works are mostly monochromatic surfaces, which he serrated and perforated. The inks and dyes he used gave the paper a sculptural quality and imparted it a third dimension. The works in this show are the last body of work he produced before his death.

Samsara, 2004, Sohan Qadri. Image Credit: http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/5088-sohan-qadri

Samsara, 2004, Sohan Qadri. Image Credit: http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/5088-sohan-qadri

Nathan Slate Joseph is an integral member of the New York School of Art. Like Qadri, Joseph also imparts his works with a third dimension, by welding disused steel plates into geometrical patterns. His art practice incorporates the use of disused found objects like steel shards with a vivid color palette. His works refer to questions of globalization, immigration and climate change.

The rich saturation of colours offset by the almost spiritual calmness of the works, confirms that this is not a show you would want to miss.

Chichentime 1, 2011, Nathan Slate Joseph. Image Credit: http://prod-images.exhibit-e.com/www_sundaramtagore_com/2013_08_BeyondCanvas.pdf

Chichentime 1, 2011, Nathan Slate Joseph. Image Credit: http://prod-images.exhibit-e.com/www_sundaramtagore_com/2013_08_BeyondCanvas.pdf

The exhibition will be on view from September 5th to October 12th 2013.

For more information, please access the gallery website.

 

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