`Encounter' with an uprooted painter
RANA SIDDIQUI
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Through his artworks, Veer Munshi casts the spotlight on those long relegated to the shadows.
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THE SAD MAN Veer Munshi paints the pain of Srinagar
There can definitely be some better and sensitive `encounters' than those misused by `Blairism' and `Bushisms'. One such `Encounter' was a painting and installation solo show by stoic painter Veer Munshi at India Habitat Centre the other day. The show was mounted by Art Alive gallery and is on view at this gallery till this coming Saturday.
Longing for roots
Veer Munshi belongs to Srinagar. He and his family got uprooted from there almost two decades ago. It has left an impact on the painter's psyche. Though he is not bitter or angry, he still craves for the city of his roots and birth. There seems to be a longing for the good old days in that city.
As a Kashmiri Pandit he moved out from Srinagar in 1990 but remains connected with it. Not just by travelling there but through the images he draws, paints and installs. "Today, I can relate to any person from a minority community or a group. Perhaps, that's why I felt the pain the minorities suffered in the Gujarat violence or what people are going through in today's Iraq. There is a minority psyche which needs to be understood."
He points out that today's human being is perhaps in a worse form of turmoil than ever before. "There's an ongoing division, partition and migration," saysMunshi.
And its deep focus is exactly what he has brought about through his works.Each image makes you not just gape but introspect. Working almost non-stop for over 18 months, he has successfully managed to unleash his inner thoughts with his creations.
Munshi's works carry stark images which are grim reminders of what's happening around. His bleak images in dark shades question, `Does the sun shine on the other side?'
Incidentally, that is the title of some works.
Think along these lines, maybe it's a wake-up call for many.
HUMRA QURAISHI
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SUGGESTIVE One of Veer Munshi's works now mounted at Art Alive gallery.
From time to time, the Capital gets to see thought provoking works of art that force a viewer to think about disturbing issues like violence, terrorism, the suspect interests of politicians who handle volatile situations and society's reaction to the growing unrest in every sphere of life.
Once such exhibition is currently on, but the work is subtle, serene, suggestive, even optimistic at places. It does question, not as a sufferer but as one who can analyse and put things in perspective.
The artist is the ever-stoic man of few words, Veer Munshi. His works under the title Encounter, now mounted at Art Alive Gallery, express his thoughts through paintings (oil on canvas) and installaployment.
What makes this displaced Kashmiri Pandit's creations significant is his global approach. It is not that he is only concerned about what happened or what may happen in his hometown but takes global problems at large into consideration. Kashmir is his thematic base though.
Hence, if in his series of Shrapnel, he portrays global terrorism, in Silence of the Weaver and Does the Sun Shine on the Other Side, he attracts attention towards the impact of terrorism and unemtions.
At one place he portrays a smiling Sonia Gandhi, under the shadow of the gun, on the other he shows a pensive Gandhi divided by a river.
His Dialogue, apparently between India and Pakistan, depicts two dogs, ever faithful to their respective nations but averse to others'! In two remarkable installations, Winds of Change and Missiles of Faith (using wood, metal, glass and digital effects), he points at ceasefire and the ever-hanging sword of religious fundamentalism over peace. He hence, portrays peace in the form of black doves!
Three categories
His works are neatly divided into three categories of concern: Migration, Partition and Division. "Migration is displacement of people, Partition is territorial and Division is ideological. I have tried to bring all these issues in one. These works are not reactivebut a concern after analysing things from all perspectives. Yes, I was vehemently reactive when I was surrounded by all these problems in my hometown 16 years ago but now I try to put things in perspective," says the artist.
RANA SIDDIQUI
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