TONALITIES OF ABSURDITY IN LIFE THROUGH ART
REVIEW: “REMEMBERING SISYPHUS”
“Remembering Sisyphus: lessons in uncertainty” is a group exhibition comprising artists- Rana Begum, Decameron-19, Tayeba Begum Lipi, Pallavi Paul, Prajakta Potnis, Raqib Shaw, Sudarshan Shetty, Sumakshi Singh, and Ayesha Sultana. The exhibition is hosted by Sunaparanta- Goa Centre for the Arts.
Sisyphus is an infamously famous character from Greek mythology, who is believed to have cheated death, twice. Albert Camus, in his well known book ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’ calls the crux of the myth “the absurd.” Camus claims that there is a fundamental dissension between what we want from the universe and what we find. We will perhaps never find in life itself the meaning that we seek. Either we will discover that meaning through a leap of faith, by placing our hopes in a sublime, or we will conclude that life is meaningless.
The exhibition “Remembering Sisyphus: lessons in uncertainty” attempts to express the tonalities of absurdity in life through Art which cease to conclude, just like Sisyphus pushing the boulder uphill to the top only to find it rolling back down the hill.
In the words of the curator, Leandré D’ souza, “Camus believed the only way out of this conflict was to face uncertainty head-on. For him, artists live in this absurd state and have the capacity to look beyond what we see.”
Ayesha Sultana, in “Strata study” creates optical deceptions with paper, iron, wood and cloth. The two dimensional surface of the paper gives an illusion of a three dimensional surface as the artist works upon the surface, altering it into an architectonic form.
Tayeba Begum Lipi and Sudarshan Shetty whereelse attempts to detach the three dimensionality of the objects and challenge their obsoleteness.
In “Porous Walls I” by Prajakta Potnis, the artist introspects the boundaries that segregate the private from the public. In the drawing, the space is covered with holes impersonating skin holes, making references to intimacy. In artists words “Without collapsing the boundaries between the two, the fluidity of segregation makes it a potent space where complexities overlap and coexist, presenting us with the duality of the inside and the outside.”
Sumakshi Singh through her work ‘Dianthus’, uses fragile objects like fabric and thread to express her contemplation towards life. The loose thread that floats seamlessly suggests the ambiguity of existence. Through her works she questions and contemplates the extremities of life like death and grief, beauty and joy.
On another realm with an intangible surface, Pallavi Paul provokes the surroundings to share their bit of ‘silence.’ She invites people facing various degrees of isolation to share their ‘quiet’. In her words “In silence, things churn, relationships change, and ideas are born.’
The exhibition continues till 31st of January 2021 at Sunaparanta- Goa Centre for the Arts.
Text by Rageshree Ranade
Image courtesy: Sunaparanta- Goa Centre for the Arts
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