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A discovery through self-portraits

Sajitha R. Shankar's works on display at Durbar Hall Art Gallery trace the evolution of her as an artist over a period of two decades

IN BLACK AND WHITE Featuring women, Sajitha's works reflect a preoccupation with women's conditions

Sajitha R. Shankar's body of work reflects the passion that she has for her work. She is an artist who has dabbled in various mediums, and discovered that she expresses herself best on canvas, through painting and charcoal.

A retrospective of her work, from 1985-2005, is on at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery. Exhibited along with her work is some of her husband, Ravi Shankar's work. The exhibition will conclude on December 27.

The exhibition is her 23rd solo exhibition.

The paintings trace the evolution of the artist over a period of two decades. The changes in perceptions vis-à-vis herself, her surroundings and relationships with society find reflection in her work. An interesting aspect of Sajitha's work exhibited is that most of them feature women, reflecting a preoccupation with the woman's condition and with being a woman. As you enter the exhibition hall, Sajitha's powerful charcoal self-portrait grabs your attention, drawing you to it. Her series of self-portraits reflect an exploration of her self, and coming to terms with what she has realised about her `self' in that exploration. She says, "Getting in touch with oneself is very important, it leads to introspection about oneself, you see yourself for what you are. It was in 2003 that I did my first self portrait and it was very liberating." According to her, her work took an autobiographical colour in 2003, which resulted in the series of self-portraits and nudes. In fact, the National Gallery of Modern Art bought three of her paintings that belong to her self-nude series.

Artistic journey

The works exhibited trace her artistic journey, which is inextricably linked to her personal growth . Most of her works exhibited are acrylic on canvas and paper, which she says suits Kerala's humid climate . Charcoal is her favourite medium, "Not only is charcoal natural, it is a difficult medium to work with. These are two extremes of colours - black and white. And there are so many shades and layers in between. And achieving each aspect is not easy; getting that effect right is hard work. It was a medium that spontaneously evolved," says Sajitha. Her charcoal drawings are an extension of her search for herself, and an exploration of the collective psyche of women through a harsh exploration of herself. Her repertoire of paintings spans phases of human life, the realities and unrealities, nature, nature and human forms in communion - one element merging with the other. That the starkness of the contrast between black and white, or black on white fascinates her is evident and even when she does deign to use colour they are earthy sombre shades.

Two decades that Sajitha has been painting have seen travel to various countries, and that she says has only enhanced her craft. She has travelled to countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Japan. And each visit has been an experience that has taught her something she maintains. Particularly memorable is one of her exhibitions in Germany, "It was a workshop where creative people from all forms - poets, those involved in theatre, writers, artists - practitioners of different genres came together and there was an interface where we exchanged ideas, concepts and perceptions. In the bargain, we as artists could develop ideas. The experience was enriching," recalls Sajitha.

If on the one hand experiences have been enriching, there have been times that have been trying as well. For instance when the Pokhran nuclear tests were conducted, she was in Japan representing India in the Nomad Project. "My works were to be exhibited on the inaugural day. To my horror I realised that even before the exhibition could start they had brought down my paintings, saying they could not exhibit my paintings. The culture minister spoke to me and told me that they had nothing against me personally but they had to react and condemn India's nuclear tests as the Japanese had been victims of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. I was distraught, then after intervention from friends and other organisations in India, my works were put up on the final day of the exhibition," says Sajitha.

Sajitha and her husband, artist Ravi Shankar, lived and worked in the Cholamandalam Artist's Village in Chennai. They recently moved to Thiruvananthapuram where they have set up a studio.

SHILPA NAIR ANAND

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