Most of us have seen walls as a structure surrounding us, but has anyone of us ever considered them as beings? 'Unlocking Stillness' is an exhibition that shares the story of walls.
Walls have been a lifelong companion for all of us, but for Kiyomi Talaulicar, they have always been an object of fascination. It is this fascination that the artist is showcasing in her current exhibition at Gallery Art Motif in Delhi, which is open for public till February 25.
'Unlocking Stillness' is a series on walls, as beings. Through her work, the artist has re-evaluated the meaning of walls as a 'signified being'. With over 21 paintings on display in various sizes, each of these works have been created over a period of one year. These paintings are the artist's interpretation on the role walls play in binding as well as dividing us, and the changes they undergo just like human beings.
"My work is about life and it's acceptance of the cycle of constant change. It is also about wanting to see this beauty in any given situation. Through this exhibition, I have tried to showcase that walls, too, undergo the changes and develop cracks over a period of time just like humans, who face turmoil in their relationships. I hope people will be able to understand the idea of beauty that I wanted to reflect through these walls," says Talaulicar.
The paintings evoke the seen and unseen action of time on surface and interior. In some, one can see the cracks evidently, while in others, a message of light and darkness is being highlighted. The largest paintings envelop viewers with the scope of her vision. "In my works, there is a lot of layering and detailing that have helped me achieve what they are today. I have used various mediums such as acrylic, pencils, ink as well as image transfers. There is richness as well as refinement, which these structures hold," she says.
A tribute in stone & shadow
The central thread in each of these works highlights the role walls play in reflecting our lives. The artist is of the opinion that besides being in their structure, walls share the experiences that we undergo. "Walls are metaphorical to the way we build them," she says.
As objects of contemplation, this is not the first time that Talaulicar has used walls in her exhibition and reinterpreted them in her paintings. During childhood, she discovered a fascination for monsoon processions of moss and snails across neighbourhood walls. Her archived photographs and sketches of walls are an evidence of seeing with the mind's eye and testifies to intensive investigation of walls in myriad forms and personalities. While growing up, this fascination with the walls intensified and she was in awe of the way people decorate their walls and add colours of life to them so as to beautify the area that binds them together.
Luminance
Talaulicar has Masters in art and has several years of experience with her. She is a gold-medallist from Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai (BFA, painting, 1986) who attained an MFA (painting, 1993) from East Carolina University. At the university, she was awarded the Gravely Foundation Scholarship and the Liquitex Excellence in Art Award. She also bagged juror’s awards and honours at various national exhibitions held in North Carolina, Minnesota, New Mexico and Wisconsin in the US, in 2001-02 and was later felicitated with the Jerome Foundation/Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota Scholarship.
In 2003, she returned to India and participated in several solo exhibitions such as 'The Past Was Yesterday' at The Arts House, Singapore, 'The Avid Gaze' at Chemould Prescott Road and 'In Search of Lyricism' at Gallery Chemould in Mumbai.
