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Bits of India on a French beach
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The Swistik Knife will be India's own symbolic envoy when art lovers gather on a beach in France
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JAGGED EDGE An incisive comment on modern India? Biju Joze shaping his work Photo: MURALI KUMAR K.
Imagine a huge knife on a French beach sprouting a trishula, a khukri, a nutcracker, sword, sickle, a coconut grater, and more. Sounds like something out of a Dali. Welcome to new expressions of Indian art that will take shape this year on a beach in France.
Bangalore's Biju Joze is taking his Swistik Knife, modelled along the world-famous Swiss Knife, to an exhibition, Made by Indians, at Pampelonne Beach on France's Saint-Tropez peninsula.
The Art on the Beach festival, as it is popularly known, featuring contemporary sculptures, is organised by France's Enrico Navarra Gallery and is already in its fifth edition. This year it is completely devoted to Indian contemporary artists — sculptors, visual artists, and photographers. Artists such as Kriti Arora, Krishnaraj Chonat, Balasubramaniam, Valay Shende will exhibit their works, which will remain on display for two summery months for vacationers and tourists to view from July 15 to September 15. By the way, among other things that will be on display at the exhibition is an old Ambassador car as well!
Biju is right now busy adding the final touches on his special knife at a workshop in Bangalore. Weighing around 2,000 kilos and spanning a good 30 feet end-to-end, the Swistik Knife will leave Bangalore next week for its long journey to France.
Biju had made a small model of it as part of an exhibition earlier and it caught the eye of Eric Rousseau, Director of Alliance Francaise. "I found it to be such a great example of the symbols of Indian culture. My job is not just to bring French culture to Bangalore but to take this city to Europe as well," says Rousseau. He believes that France's many knife museums will also be interested in the novel exhibit. So the artist and the gallery were introduced through the Alliance Francaise, and logistics and funding fell into place.
The knife has five elements on each side and two other extensions, much on the lines of the Swiss Knife. The trishula (trident), lavitram (sickle), khukhri (knife), amra parnika (mango-leaf shaped razor blade), shoolam (spear), ankusha (elephant goad), vyaaghra nakhah (tiger claw-shaped incisor), pooga kartari (nutcracker), eeli or eelige (coconut grater), karvaalah (sickle-sword) form the main elements. The karna shalaka (ear-cleaning scoop) and the tilakam shalaka (vermilion applicator) are the two special extensions, explains Biju. Some elements like the mango leaf-shaped razor are his own creations. While the swastika originally was the logo for the knife, Biju had to change it keeping in mind the Nazi implications it would have in Europe.
Choosing from a range of everyday tools, kitchen implements, religious symbols and ritual weapons, Biju says he's trying to deal with a whole lot of issues here cutting across globalisation, manipulation, fanaticism, patenting, and copyright issues. Not a man of many words, he loves to leave much unexplained. "I don't want to freeze on any one aspect of what this piece of art symbolises. It means different things to different people, and I want it to remain that way. I don't want to make a political statement, but it may have one!" says the artist.
Work began on the metallic knife at the beginning of the month and the acrylic casing will go on to its body last. And when on display, in a vertical form high on a platform, all 10 elements will stand out spread, much like the arms of a goddess, catching the dazzle of the sun by the sea.
BHUMIKA K.
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