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Turning poetry to stone

Eternal things are neither conventional nor unconventional. They are always fresh and new as truth is always fresh and relevant, believes artiste Girjesh  Singh. Singh will be displaying his work in the Capital.

Singh is not concerned with temporary social causes but he looks into the internal spaces.  He lives and travels in his thoughts.  Life’s internal aspects appeal to him and its undying spirit keeps him going.  He is looking for what finally matters – a manifestation of reality, and that is why it is so individualistic.  Whenever he senses a bit of that reality, however brief, he tries to express it through his work. The brief nature of that contact is expressed in the title of his show, Often I Miss You.

Singh’s works represent his thoughts, often inspired by the great Indian mystic, Kabir. Taking inspiration from Kabir, the artiste displays his thoughts through his own, unique language.  He believes in keeping his own identity and experiencing Kabir’s philosophy through one’s own person.

The medium of work inspires him first. He has chosen stone and brick – conventional and unconventional mediums for sculpture.  They are close to his heart as he grew up with these materials. Singh believes that conventionally an idea needs to be expressed in a material but unconventionally a material provides its own idea or story. Stone is a traditional medium and brick comes up as the unconventional one. He says, ‘A lot has been done in stone and it’s a challenge, but there is still some story.  When I see brick with cement I feel the brick carries its identity even when taken out of its structure’.

His center piece, Jhini re bini which is inspired by Kabir’s poem, where he compares life to a sheet or a covering, which is soaked in the identity of God. His work also focuses on the five elements: earth, water, air, fire and space.  The pillars have an expression of an element on the outside and on the inside, have a script with alphabets and symbols that have been inspired by various civilizations from all over the world.  At the seat of each pillar sits a lotus that shows how nature has bestowed all four elements in this one magnificent flower.

He believes that the fifth element (ether, akasa or divinity as one may interpret it) cannot be understood in mere human terms; it represents, ‘The All’.

Singh’s work process is way lot more than just hammers and chisels. The creative process starts with his developing his style for carving. He wanted to make a work of epic proportions on the elements which effectively showcased his philosophy. We say, don’t miss this one.

WHEN: 28 January to 2 February
WHERE: Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre
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