Source: THE HINDU-17th October,2019
Viraj Mithani and Michal Raz’s artworks reimagine our times through mythological narratives and ancient philosophies.
Driving past Tao Art Gallery in Worli, it is impossible to miss the paintings
by artists Michal Raz and Viraj Mithani that hang on the street-facing walls of
the space. The works are strikingly bold and fluid, conveying a sense of
velocity and pandemonium that resonates with the pulse of the city. The show
titled Boomerang, is curated by Sneha Shah, who founded Curaty Ltd, a
London-based art consultancy that aims to “champion young artists,” after
completing her MA in Art History at University College London last year.
Raz and Mithani’s paintings bear uncanny semblances, as far as their
sense of scale, processes of layering, and colour palettes are concerned. Their
works embody notions of dynamism and vivacity through their applications of
bright swashes of colours, and abstracted lines and forms that oscillate between
being rendered with careful-control and unhinged-spontaneity. The paintings
implore viewers to continuously shift their gaze across their surfaces,
reorienting their focus from one point to another, and making them
inadvertently revisit particular areas with a renewed sense of perception.
Arguably, the ‘boomerang effect’ that Shah describes in her curatorial note as
“the act of re-appearing or returning from a direction that is opposite” may be
experienced first and foremost, within the viewers’ immediate encounter with
the works.
For Shah, this exhibition is a “harmonious meeting point” where the
artists are showcased together for the first time. She expresses that not
labelling any of the works was a conscious choice which would force viewers to
look closely to decipher who made what. While the distinctions between the
artists’ individual concerns unravel quickly, it is difficult to believe that
Raz and Mithani had never met before this exhibition, had no conversation in
regard to their works, and have dissimilar backgrounds. Raz is an Israel-born
artist, who completed her MFA at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, where
she is currently based. Shah met her at her degree show last year. Meanwhile,
Mumbai-based Mithani has a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
(2015), where he was Shah’s classmate, and also holds a diploma from Chelsea
Camberwell College of Art and Design, London.
In addition to
their stylistic affinities, the two artists also respond to traditions,
philosophies, and life in India. Raz has expressed how her numerous visits to
India, her engagement with yoga, and concepts from the Upanishads have played
an integral role in shaping her work. Mithani revisits folk and religious myths
that he grew up with, while responding to life in Mumbai that he became more
cognisant of upon returning from studying abroad. “Arriving at the same subject
from opposite experiences, both artists tackle their individual confrontations,
reflections, and learnings of India within their works yet stay loyal to their
stylistic trajectories,” Shah describes. The ‘boomerang effect’ takes on a more
nuanced implication in this show as the past is grappled with in the present.
The artists’ distinct approaches open up deliberations surrounding narrative techniques,
notions of time, and the structures we operate within.
Challenging narratives
In their own way, Raz and Mithani subvert strictly linear narratives.
Mithani cites images conjured by mythological and historical accounts — he
references Lord Krishna, the Demon Mahishasura, and the ancient game, Chaturanga,
among others. He juxtaposes these specific referents with abstract imagery and
art-historical appropriations, most prominently evidenced in his renditions of
Matisse’s famous cut-outs. Mithani emphasises that he doesn’t use concrete
symbols to reiterate existing narratives. Instead, he regurgitates them to
evaluate them from a contemporary perspective. For instance, in his work
entitled ‘Virtuous Woman,’ Mithani obscures the face of a woman displaying
‘idyllic feminine’ characteristics disseminated over time to question the
integrity of the very notion of virtuosity. His works may effectively be viewed
as interventions that compel viewers to revisit myths and consider the values
they propagate, cautiously.
“On the other hand, Raz rejects narratives and playfully toys with
semiotics, leaving hidden meanings, metaphors, and symbols through her work,”
Shah suggests. Raz acknowledges that while her colour choices are influenced by
sights in India, she avoids specific references. “Although my process is driven
largely by concepts from the Upanishads, my work is abstract and I do not use
any narratives,” she states. By translating her sensorial experiences in India
into tangible artworks, Raz creates works that are open to subjective
interpretations. In these paintings, one may trace images and ideas ranging
from architectural elements and landscapes to suggestions of dialectical
concepts of “night and day, heaven and earth, or male and female, ” that Raz considers
elemental to all creation myths.
Palimpsestic methods
Both artists use processes of
layering in their works. Mithani acknowledges how his practice is driven by a
“preoccupation with the history of mark-making.” This relates not only to his
passionate engagement with art history, but also to his archival instincts. He
expresses, “I keep a sketchbook in which I collect marks from all over to
record my obsession with preserving them.” Admittedly, he also never destroys
any of his works. Although he layers different images and gestures onto each
other in his paintings, every mark is equally significant. For Mithani
consequently, history is not relegated to the past but is made relevant within
the present.
Shah describes how Raz’s adoption of layered images may be “a residue or
imprint of being brought up in Israel where contradictions and rules co-exist
in indecipherable layers, be it social, political, cultural, or even
religious.” For Raz, “detachment is key.” Although her works speak of
simultaneity and coexistence, her process and final realisation of works
consider the idea of presence in a meditative manner, in conjunction with her
engagement with yogic principles. For both artists, their layering techniques
point towards a spatial understanding of time —everything exists on the same
plane.
Boomerang is ongoing at Tao Art
Gallery, Worli until October 18
