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And Looking She Became Herself Again... |
| “You’ve heard it said that there’s a wisdom that opens from one mind to another
but if there’s no wall, there’s no need for fitting the window, or the latch.” |
| - Jalal al-Din Rumi |
Wisdom sheds its light where there is darkness. The Bhagavad-Gita says that aware or not, we are all supposedly on a spiritual path. It is a natural consequence of being human. However, consciousness is the goal; the secret for successful living, for it is the knowledge of self-realization that empowers and manifests itself. The human mind is diverse in its seeking. Faiza Shaikh paints the philosophy she meditates upon. She uses verses from the Koran, the Gita and other religious texts and mantras to represent the universality of their ideas. Her colours are evocative of the scars of this devotion. They represent the sacrifices, hope, judgement and other emotional incidents of life. She does not give form to the abstract ideals. It is her palette, the texture of paint and brush that take us into own dimensions of knowing; to re-look at the texts she inserts within these marks, where looking we become ourselves again.
Her work is rooted in the contemporary world. She chooses not to present the way we are in a manner that questions this or states what we see around us everyday. She is not unconcerned with issues of urban existence, or racial discrimination, of the disparities between the rich and poor. She is a part of this world, she lives and breathes its air as we do, is as affected by its pollutants, but her paintings present a quest for perfection which takes impetus from this world without depicting its context.
Her ‘Judgement’ carries a verse from the Koran which says that those who are sincere in their quest will be in total bliss while those who are misers and think themselves self-sufficient, their path will be paved smoothly to misery. It is a definitive stance, a black and white edict that leaves little room for compassion. Faiza acknowledges this but paints the lightning of this decree as arms of a protective embrace, reminding that whatever we are, is representative of the nature that formed us and therefore are loved and accepted as such. Shaikh thus implies that no judgment should reject an idea without this basic truth. There are no rules; right and wrong are as relative as truth and wisdom in the material world.
Religious intolerance arises from our ignorance about each others faith. This has misguided elements to create cleavages in society, indulging in abominable acts of violence and terror. All scriptures have outlined concepts of Dharma, Yudh and Jihad to establish justice where wars have been fought for a cause; recourse to violence permitted only in unavoidable circumstances. The world of contemporary art has sought to address these issues by presenting a mirror of communal violence and disharmony. Faiza does not concern herself with the images of this mirror. She is not interested in recounting experiences that feed off themselves and their negative emotions, perpetuating indignation or outrage. Her voice simply says: look into the mirror of your being, know yourself to realize that your battles are unnecessary. For when each religion speaks the same truth, outlines the same vision and everything leads to the same reality, all of this is just a tamasha. It is about clamouring to be noticed; arising from perceived insecurities and a misconception of ourselves.
Much of Contemporary art is fuelled by ideas violation and abuse of human nature. Technology aids presentation of what is seen and heard. There is no scope to hide. These artists compel us to look at ourselves, how grotesque we have become. Some others have the gift of humour, to be mirthful and make others laugh too. They look at the tamasha; see its perils and pain, but recognize that art has never been able to change social ideals, merely contribute to the language of expression. They enjoy the drama of life being played out on the stage of illusion. There are others like Fiaza Shaikh who takes existence more seriously; their contribution is this realization that life is sacred. It is precious for it is an opportunity to know, to touch the light that claims our existence.
She has scripted on gold leaf the wisdom of texts such as the Koran and Bhagavad Gita. Those who read Sanskrit and Urdu may have an advantage but the essence here is not the specifics of language. It’s about universal truth and faith in ideas that have been handed down through centuries of self-discovery. Her depiction of the Gayatri mantra as a blessing evokes the idea of faith. This mantra is attuned to universal consciousness; its chanting aligns our minds to this, via worship of the sun which is the embodiment of light – the source of all knowledge. Painted as a splash of sunshine yellow on a dark ground, illuminating the mantra written in Sanskrit, this painting is a very simple representation of the concept. This painter does not experiment or intellectualize, but working within the range of her intuition she presents subtle impressions.
Faiza herself is unlettered in the Devnagiri script, as are others who chant the mantra. How many times have you chanted and focussed on what it means? It is the intention of the thought that let you to the mantra, which is the key to your intuitive comprehension or guidance towards achieving. Swami Paramhansa Yogananda created affirmations for his American devotees in English, based on this ideal. Whether Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish or of any other faith; speaking a million different tongues, each human mind has the capacity to comprehend the universal language of the omniscience that drives us.
It is devotion, a prayer that creates desire to do so. ‘Devotion’ as Faiza presents is not a refreshing waterfall in blue-green. Its impression is one of turbulence. The colour is deceptive; it is rich, yet muddied. Devotion riddled with doubt perhaps? We could say that Faiza implies a process of trying to be devoted, rebelling in subtle ways, questioning, yet conforming or attempting to, because that is the way prescribed. The canvas is unquiet; it is emotional and evocative of hymns sung by Mirabai where she cries out for Krishna, for despite her devotion, she has not attained that peaceful surrender to unite with Krishna’s consciousness.
Krishna in Faiza’s mind does not represent the regal splendour of the blue God we see depicted in Indian miniature paintings and popular lore. She associates Krishna with battle, almost chiding him for allowing the blood-shed at Kurukshetra. The greyness of ambiguity stained with the maroon of coagulating blood represents Arjun’s dilemma as he approaches the battle-field. How does he kill his kin, those he has loved? In ‘Detachment” Shaikh presents a canvas of sumptuous purple; a colour linked historically to spirituality, it is also paradoxically one of decadence evoked in the “purple stained mouth” in Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale. The paradoxes of life are well presented as Shaikh’s colours of philosophy, questioning the veracity of each scripture, re-writing it through the colours of the painters brush, re-discovering this through the light of the viewer’s lens.
Gopika Nath
5th November 2008 |
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