Lyrical interpretations on canvas

To the uninitiated all canvases look the same. And one can easily succumb to this illusion while viewing the recent art works of Santana Gohain, displayed at the exhibition ‘Sense’.

This new series of work by the artist has few elements that were never a part of her parlance earlier.

Surfacing in her recent work, these elements enrich her sombre, contemplative idiom that still retains its pensive disposition.

But the addition of colour in it is quite lyrical. The rustic sienna and grey that the artist used earlier have been replaced with mauves and magentas.

Gohain continues to adopt extremely dreary methods to achieve the desired results.

“I like to experiment with the mediums and surfaces. To keep them usual is not something I would ever prefer. I don’t feel hesitant towards using cotton or scrubbing the surface,” says Gohain who uses cotton fibre paper mounted on board in place of canvas.

To give it a cotton-like feel, she peels off the top layer of the paper.

Earlier she used to meticulously replicate the appearance of copper or rusted tin sheets in her work to create an effect that the final work has been done with palms on this surface.

The artist’s fascination with the physicality of the surface makes her adopt scratching, rubbing and caressing the medium till it concedes to her machinations.

In the works displayed in this exhibition, she engraves the surface with minute patterns and motifs generated through the dotted lines using the motorised engraving tool.

These small engraved patches fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and appear like quilts stitched out of rags by rural women.

Interestingly, her manner of building up the forms and application of colours divulges a marked analogy.

In her work, the flowers cease to be flowers, the greens and blues relinquish their effulgence and subscribe to the nostalgic, melancholic musings of the painter.

The exhibition ‘Senses’ is on display at Gallery Art Motif, Safdarjung Enclave till
December 13.