14 Inspirational Voices - International Women's Day

Today is International Women’s Day. A day to focus on Women’s rights, discrimination against women and girls so on and so forth. In some countries, it is supposed to be a holiday while in most parts it is largely ignored. Though I tend to believe that this happens when we reduce such imperative everyday facets to just one day it also becomes a reminder of the sacrifice and courage the women before us endured and revealed. Each day is a Woman’s day and it is a celebration of her talents, dreams, aspirations, courage, and perseverance. Today in Hues n Shades, I am celebrating it with some super-talented, gorgeous women in the field of arts with their inspirational ‘voices’. They have stood the test of time and defined their sacred space. There are many more women across the globe who inspire one another every day. It is a celebration of all those known and unknown, legends and legends-in-the-making, beautiful souls. It is also a door ajar for the young to stride.

“Feet, what do I need them for if I have wings to fly?” ~ Frida Kahlo

Each woman, today, has the potential to fly, she only needs to realize it. A dream remains a dream when you fail to act upon it and when done alone, the moment you share it with kindred spirits it has the possibility of turning into reality. It becomes a collective dream. Each one of the incredible women has stressed here that nothing should bind us other than our highest inner truth. Each one of us has a heap to offer, it's not mere "ambition"; it's abiding by our inner voice, just being true to ourselves. As Anais Nin points out life does shrink and expand in proportion to one’s courage.

“I matter. I matter equally. Not ‘if only’, not ‘as long as’. I matter. Full Stop” – Chimamanda Adichie

14 Inspirational Voices:

Tanya Abraham - Curator, Kashi Art Gallery/Founder-Director of TAOS | Kochi

"I see art as a means of expression and a tool for change. Creativity is key in the 21st century, to facilitate human expression, understand conceptualization and encourage innovative thinking. We often tend to underestimate the power of the arts. Imagination and Creativity are, in truth, an important part of human life-Just like the need for prayer is. We can’t ignore art. It is a vital component of a healthy human life. When I am able to use art and work with artists to express, create change or to exhibit talent, it empowers me. My work at The Art Outreach Society is the testimony to my belief that creativity can change lives. Art on its own is empowering. When I indulge in it, there arises a sense of satisfaction which emerges from oneness with art."

Seema Kohli – Contemporary Visual Artist | New Delhi

"I think being a woman is just gender and it has made no difference in my perception of art. I paint to introspect, to answer my queries, my quest. But that doesn’t stop viewers or critics to see me as a certain gender. As an artist, I paint the feminine, the energy that is prevalent in all of us and is constantly expanding, creating and positively recreating this and many other universes. I paint the stories of sharing one single womb, through which we all have emerged, we are a part of the same single space having the same consciousness; so why this despair? Why these differences? Why these wars?"

Gitanjali Kolanad - Writer and Choreographer | London

"Art-making, as far as I know, anything about the process, is just a certain mode of attention, not letting the world go by in a stream, but being receptive to what it is always offering, and then letting that elicit wonder, questions, confusion. When I was a dancer that was an awareness from inside a moving body shaping patterns of movement. Now the struggle is to bring sensations into a form that can be put into words. But I still try to stay out of my own way as much as possible, to let forces beyond my conscious control take over. Being a woman is simply how I am an embodied being in the world. I find it impossible to isolate any quality, including in my art making, that is 'me' that is not also 'woman'."

Cecilia Levy – Paper Artist | Sweden

"Art is my life. It’s my passion and what keeps me happy and sane. It’s also my job and the main source of income, which means a somewhat strained economy that can be stressful at times. Being a full-time artist means giving up on the security of employment and a steady income. But it also means doing what you’re best at and loves most. My husband (also an artist) and I made an active choice many years ago. Being a female artist in the contemporary art scene today (how do you see yourself): The internet has brought the art world to me and my art into the world. Without social media I don’t think I could have persevered, my audience is mainly international. I’m extremely grateful for the internet, FB and IG. I am grateful every day for being able to do what I do, being exactly where I am, right here, right now. This fills me with immense joy. "

Ruchika Wason Singh - Visual Artist, Independent Researcher and the Founder of A.M.M.A.A | New Delhi 

"As a woman, an artist and a mother, I see my identities intertwined. My struggle has been to find a balance between the artistic and the personal domains in my life. This had led me to initiate A.M.M.A.A. Through my project A.M.M.A.A. - The Archive for Mapping Mother Artists in Asia, I seek to find space for voicing maternal experiences, creating opportunities and platforms for modules of art, for myself and for others. These modules are structured to encourage mother artists, whose commitments to their families require a more flexible model of creative platforms, which A.M.M.A.A. is aimed at. Through mapping, visibility and mobility, A.M.M.A.A. seeks to empower the female artists in Asia and those of the Asian diaspora."

Wyanne Thompson – Artist | Atlanta-U.S

"For me, Art is my way of life. It takes care of me, heals me and allows me to share myself with the world. I’ve worked as a full-time artist for the past 25 years. I never paid much attention or thought much about being a “female artist”. I know many would argue that there has not been enough focus on female artists. And I have seen it first hand in the contemporary art world. But, for me...I never really identified as a “female artist”. I have just always felt that I was an artist, and gender was not an issue. I consider myself lucky to do what I love every day. It feeds my soul and empowers me. I feel that art had a direct influence on my ability to fight and beat cancer. It is my passion and my healer, and fulfillment. Then to be able to share my art with others for them to experience, has to be one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever experienced."

Dr. M.Balamani - Art Historian-Critic & Cultural Analyst | Baroda

"I started learning painting as a hobby by the time my children started going to school. Incidentally, I learned about Art History & Aesthetics, a specialized subject in this field and joined the Master’s curriculum immediately. Whether field has accepted my writings on art as an art critic or the writing on art is suitable to my aptitude I have no idea. Thinking and writing about art, talking and lecturing about art has been taking me to those undiscovered thoughts of my heart. I started enjoying deeply. It has given me the opportunity to excel in academics too to acquire my doctorate degree combining Art, Culture and day to day aesthetics of life. Years passed and I never realized how many miles I crossed in this path and would love to walk many more such wonders of art."

Radha Gomaty – Painter, Sculptor, Creative Strategist, Writer | Kochi

"INTENSE ENLIVENMENT … those acutely inhabited moments, sharply lived, that came like epiphanies or visitations. This is the same creative zone that both precedes and permeates any artistic work process. It is inherent in the very Ground of just being Alive.  Art is just another one of its many subsets. Today I stand affirmed in my instinctive knowledge that Art is not necessarily objects-painting, music, sculpture, films...whatever it may be that one makes. Art is that process by which one keeps one's being in sparkling order, vulnerable receptive open cleared backed with the courage to walk the thin line, no matter what the circumstance. If one accomplishes this hack, then one can do anything with it or just be ...No matter what one does with it, there is this strong possibility that it invariably will be powerful, beautiful, inspiring and deeply effective."

Liz Ramos-Prado – Visual Media Artist | Peru

"For me, art is an essential component of our lives; it is a powerful force of expression and communication that drives emotion, ideas and intention in all of its different manifestations. In a world where individuality and the egocentric notion of “self” reign, Arts contribute to creating a sense of identity, questioning our condition of humans and reminding us the importance of being genuinely connected as a society. As an artist, I see myself as a contributor, a provider. I feed myself from nature, people, all the surrounding and life experience itself. Through my pieces, I look to enable people to connect with my works in an exercise of self-reflection about specific matters that will bring a more open dialogue. I look for the singular changes; if my work moves or produce a significant emotion to one single person, then I feel accomplished, that empowers me." 

Nalini Malaviya - Art Consultant, Curator, Writer, Author@Art Scene India | Bengaluru

"I see art as a tool for education, and as a means to spark creativity and innovation. Integrating art appreciation in the school curricula and in a viable form in the work environment can enhance creativity and facilitate the process of learning as well. As a consultant and curator, I work with galleries, contemporary artists and corporates on art projects, which broadly involves conceptualization, curation and writing. I see myself as an enabler – bridging the gap between art, artists and connoisseurs. I read somewhere that when you are offered an interesting opportunity, first say yes and then figure out how to go about it, and I follow that. I try to push myself outside my comfort zone with every new project and to learn along the way. The world is evolving so rapidly and there are new technologies and modalities of working that it is important to stay abreast. I feel, a constant focus on learning can be very empowering, and productive from a career perspective too."

P S Jalaja – Artist | Kochi

"For me, art does not stem from something fictitious but it ensues from the thoughts of our own objective-contemporary lives and the history-experiences of our own times. Research is the most important aspect of my work. It is in continuum with this research that prompts me to investigate my identity as an artist in this social system. It paves the way to understand the secondary status of women, to revolt against the power politics of authority for equal rights by being part of the sorority/community. I engage in compassionate experiments trying to stamp the circumstances, disasters, migrations, celebrations, assaults that people across the globe endure which is portrayed in my “Aalkootam” (Gathering) series. Boundaries are created by man for man. Wars, racial issues, caste-creed insurgencies, civil wars happen across the world and we witness history being repeated sometimes bloodier than before. I would like to appraise my art in the context of social responsibility. Art happens to be my medium where I move from one work to another with the intention of leading it to a healthy discussion of advancing to a different world unitedly and well-planned with love and imagination."

Ruby Jagrut – Artist, Natural Dyes exponent, Trustee Abir | Ahmedabad

How does your gender matter when it comes to art! I think we all have to do our journey on our own. Art has the power to bind us irrespective of everything. Art is largely the manifestation of emotions, experiences and ideas one feels. Contemporary art has broken stereotypes and moved away from traditional ways of expression. Art can’t be seen in isolation from oneself. I found my solace in paintings and the process of extracting colour out of vegetables and minerals. I find it therapeutic. The subtleness of colour keeps me amused every time I paint. I am available to my canvas with my vulnerabilities, childlike eagerness and honesty. We have to constantly seek inspiration, be greedily aware and available to our environment. Earning about new pigments, experimenting with new ideas empower me. Reading, listening to music, dancing and indulging with different art form helps me understand the complexity of the expression.

Priti Vadakkath – Visual Artist | Kochi

Art is a means of self-expression and communication. The process is also highly therapeutic for me, often my essential toolkit for survival. I am an artist because I have something to say, something to contribute to in the discussion and probably influence or convince my audience. There are varied roles I assume every day - as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a caregiver to a child with special needs. I believe all my ideas come from within and is informed by my immediate family, environment and the social context of my existence. Within all these spaces that I occupy, is an artist who interacts with, extracts from, and intervenes in society through her art and in doing so I continue to find fulfillment and empowerment.

Marie-Noëlle Wurm – Artist, Illustrator, Art Teacher | France

A big part of my process is trying to get to the truths at our core: connected to a natural world that is so much bigger than us, and to an infinite richness within—our capacity for self-awareness, for creativity, for growth. Art is an emotional language that connects us more deeply to ourselves, including the parts we shy away from: the sadness, the fear, the hurt—and shining a light on the darkness is how we transcend it. I’m able to do so much more than most women have, across millennia or around the world. I don’t take that for granted. I create art to give space to emotions, to our hidden selves—to reclaim space, a voice, a self. I try to speak my truth, and my life as a woman will always inform that truth. My hope is that it will inspire others to speak theirs. Art is a deeply personal journey but it’s also deeply universal—and that’s why it’s so powerful. In my own way, I try to honor that.

Let me conclude with these short verses:

Body as a Mediating Element - Murali Cheeroth on Performance Art (Part 2)

This is the second part of the interview that was published last week. Click HERE to read the First part.

Murali Cheeroth

Deepa: I am reminded of the performances of Marina Abramovic. The ones I have seen most is perhaps hers. Whether it’s with Ulay in “Rest Energy” or “Rhythm 0” and all her other performances she places herself in situations of extreme endurance, the acceptance of physical violation as if she wants to test how much self-affliction can be endured; the limit of it.

M.Cheeroth: Performance art has various traditions in it. The works of Abramovic and Patty Chan are mostly issues related to gender, spiritualism and matters connected to that. I would like to recount one of the recent accounts of a Russian activist-performance artist, Petr Pavlensky. People usually notice a protest when it’s done collectively as a mass. Here, it just shows how an individual can make a powerful impact with Pavlensky’s nude performance in front of the Russian Secretariat by nailing his testicles to the Red Square. It is a challenge to the police and the officials and the law and justice. The life of the artist is perilously at stake. People like Pavlensky cannot be moved, a mass can be made to flee by firing or something but to move someone like Pavlensky the nail has to be pulled out. This single performance made the world aware of those critical issues and triggered the discussion internationally. At another instance, he also performed by wrapping himself with barbed wires and the police couldn’t do a thing to remove him which obviously wasn’t an easy task. They had to bring cutting tools to release him out. He is single-handedly and powerfully challenging the State and the System. From mass-level to individual-level, the protest turned out to be a potent one in recent times. The performance is called “Man and Might”. There are many cases registered in Pavlensky’s name in many countries. I would say he is one of the great role models and inspiration. Such prevailing impact can be brought about only through performance and is not possible through some other medium like painting.

Deepa: Physicality, being in the moment, temporal and immediate are some of the key factors to the soul of this form. How do you think that this art would withstand the test of time? Do you believe in leaving such footprints? (Of course, there’s videography yet...there’s a kind of ephemeral aspect to it.).

M.Cheeroth: I don’t believe in documenting and archiving my work, but, it happens, as part of the current technological era we are living in.

From Colombo Art Biennale 2016

Deepa: Depending on what you explained earlier about body and space, all the components that you mentioned were realized in “Memoir/Collecting the Artists”, it probably came a full circle there. Tell us something about that performance of yours held in the Kerala Museum.

M.Cheeroth: That was one of my favourite performances. When I started it out I never knew that it would take such an innovative intensity. As a student, I thought I will do what I can when the Kerala History Museum reached out to me and not many art collectors were there at that point in time when we started. During those days, the idea of contemporary art museum did not exist in Kerala. There are many personal notes too like with Somnath Hore, K G Subramanyan, Ganesh Pyne. Beyond that, the relationship with all these artists was a great learning experience and they had provided qualitative time which aided my personal growth as well. It all started with my connection there.

We never knew the business aspect of the museum at that point. But when the concept of the museum was beginning to take shape for the first time in Kerala, we were pretty excited. My relationship with, be it the Founder of the Museum or the artists they were more on a personal level than as a mere mediator. Mr. Madhavan Nayar was said to be a strict person but with us, he was always simple. In our early days, he used to place the money in between the pages of the books and used to gift it on occasions instead of handing it over by hand. He used to extend that kind of respect to us. It was after 10-20 years that the Curator asked to present a program where I was to talk about the works presented in the Museum since I was part of establishing it. It was then the performance evolved and I thought about how to bring about freshness and a variation in presenting it and the ‘Walk Through’ materialized.

Not many artists have been part of such museum production initiatives, luckily I got such a chance and to reinvent such a space with the curator. There didn’t arise any need to discuss the process on how to go about it because all these works went through our hands during the selection itself and so it did have our aesthetics, negotiations and encounters. Each work had its own story to narrate and I just used that poetically, that’s all. The audience was a part of it and probably the audience turned out to be more of a performer than I was. The entire story took one hour and no one left in between and later everyone, even many artist friends approached and appreciated me. It was autobiographical and I have used a story-line that not many people knew about. The mindset of the collector, how artists finally bring their work to the museum collection; I was able to tap into their heart-beat and gain insight into it by being part of the selection process. With that insight, I, as a performer, was trying to reinterpret and retell that entire story. It was more like a continuous engagement with space and art objects as well as reinventing the entire narration of making a museum with museum painting being part of it along with the beauty and pain of art making. Now, I have an existence as a performer as well apart from being a selector.

('Memoir/Collecting the Artists' - the performance walkthrough can be viewed in these links - Memoir-Part1 and Memoir-Part2 by Madhavan Nayar Foundation)

 From Memoir at Kerala Museum, Edapally

Deepa: Do you feel that an artist is a conduit?

M.Cheeroth: More than having a kind of feel, it’s continuously having that kind of experience. When you see the artwork and when doing the artwork, there arises a creative surplus...that surplus is what takes you from a conceived idea to an explorative state. If that surplus isn’t there, then it would only make the work dry. That creative surplus is what gives us delight. The continuous activation of this experience is what makes the artist vibrant and on the move.


Deepa: Is it painting or performance where you feel more at ease with the artist in yourself?

M.Cheeroth: Painting is a studio based activity and in that studio-based activity, during the preparation, probably I am a performer. Once the painting goes out of your hand, I am just a person responsible for its creation. But as a performer, you are in the complete experience of it. The success and failure that you encounter in performance are not the same when it comes to painting. There’s a natural element of performance in the preparatory process of painting; you become emotionally engaged and that is translated in the work as well. But once it is packed and leaves the gallery, the engagement ends and the translation comes to a halt. As a performer, the engagement is possible anytime, anywhere. Also, we can bring about all the political dialogues in our performance.

In one of my performances at the Morni Hills Biennale, I used my bag which I had been using for some months with all the bills and tablets and everything else stacked in there. I just emptied the contents onto the table for the audience - for them to see all the objects used during all that time – each object, the imagination of objectifying and how it politically influences my life and the consequent evaluation of why it’s being used like why am I using ayurvedic tablet and negating allopathic medicine? How I organically conserve my body? etc. We can create many such dialogues.

Deepa: Tell us something about “Mind Games”, your recently held show in New Delhi?

M.Cheeroth: It was part of the group show called “Voiceover” curated by Meena Vari. The protagonist is me and it is a faithful search of self-awareness in an urban landscape representing a character who looks back at a lifetime of political activism and politically intrinsic life; a perspective. Images hover in the mind and hence the name. It predominantly questions the political situation of the times.

Pages from my Silent Mind Games/5.6x14ft/Acrylic on canvas/2018

Deepa: You completed your MFA in Santiniketan. The system there is entirely different from the regular fine arts colleges anywhere in India (though the scenario is changing now). How different is it do you think? What is your thought on the current educational scenario particularly with respect to Fine Arts? How engaging and enriching is the teaching-learning process today? Are the students well-equipped to start a career in their chosen path by the time they step out of the colleges?

M.Cheeroth: It’s a really good question. These days I am working a lot at an educational level particularly in architecture. This is a time when we are reinventing and bringing together the basic foundation courses in architecture trying to bring about a difference. In many schools where I have taught, we have brought together 2-3 subjects, integrated it and have come up with a Common Integrated Studio. The base for all these springs from Santiniketan. There we were continuously questioning dialectic and materialistic values of life. If we fail to process that we would never be able to stay there even for a month. Instead, we need to focus on the learning process, learning from life - each and every observation like even the dropping of a flower while walking can cause a lovely sensation and how the sun lights up the land each morning. Throughout the year even in summer, you will find flowers there. In each season the landscape responds and it is manifested beautifully. We enjoyed this during our education there and this experience enriched us once we left the place and provided a positive learning state.

Teachers like KGS, Somnath Hore, Nirmalendu Da have helped us to clear our day-to-day confusions and dialogues that now we can clearly capture the basic skill set, Knowledge, conceptual areas etc. needed for the overall development of a student. This is one of the greatest endowments received from Santiniketan and it is the product of the educational quality of Santiniketan. When we look at micro-macro family setups, these days, in nuclear families communications, challenges, critical meetings, cognitive aspects etc. within the family being absent raises the students to be selfish. Being brought up in such nuclear families makes the students lack social challenges, critical thinking and the like. So when such students enter a college for education and are in this space, they tend to respond negatively from the onset because they may not be able to mingle properly, may lose spontaneity to act and many would have cognitive behavioral disorders - they may be dyslexic, many suffer from insomnia. To some students, the impact of “No” also takes on a dangerous one as they fail to realize the real sense of it. So we need to coordinate really smoothly and well to bring together architectural design and art because architecture and art have the ability to engage...through this engagement the critical thinking, evading social fears, taking up challenges, cognitive development, imagination, etc. can be nurtured. It is based on this study the first year foundation course has been co-ordinated. 

It has been found successful and is being appreciated by many major architectural institutions and we have been called for presentations. People have started realizing the importance and value of such an education. That recognition has been possible because of Santiniketan. Whatever flaws were there in our (Kerala’s) art educational system at that time – the merits and demerits – and what to rectify were also made aware because of Santiniketan. It is an institution that has stood the test of time and has contributed immensely.

From Colombo Art Biennale 2016

Deepa: One performance of yours that had the greatest impact on your art and life (probably it was the most critical one in your life that changed your perspective, your insight, your root deepened in the field) and a performance of another artist that influenced you the most?

M.Cheeroth: Boris Nieslony, Petr Pavlensky – he has greatly influenced me; immensely daring, Patty Chan, Marina Abramovic to a certain extent, Joseph Beuys’ contribution is huge...it’s extremely difficult to pinpoint one. Performance art can’t be anchored at a single point within a structure. Performance art that is connected to activism is what interests me more and not just a body expressing. It needs to propagate and carry forward ideas.

Regarding mine, there are many instances that really influenced me...in one of the public spaces during a performance in Chandigarh, the urban crowd challenged a lot entering into the space, and causing a lot of disturbance but the security guards who watched it all later came, hugged me and said, “You did well that such matters are brought to light in public. It’s a huge thing.” The way they hugged and mentioned that moved me.  Similarly in Bengaluru too, after a performance, some people from the audience and a caretaker and his family from the nearby construction building came and appreciated a lot. There have been many such beautiful moments and experiences when least expected people approach you. Many often come and ask questions too. With each performance, we become a different person. We get to know ourselves more. We realize that every stance, our body, every minute expression, even silence has so much importance attached to it and can be read closely as well. It is amazing actually.

Deepa: In your own words “Building up art practice as a sustainable livelihood model in a country where art market conditions are not very favourable / supportive to young budding artists was the most difficult challenge that me or any Indian artist face.” What else would you like to add to it?

M.Cheeroth: I think I will go back to one of my favourite teachers, Somnath Hore, who once asked my plan after BFA. I said that I may look for a job or that I may join MFA. To which he replied (the gist of which was something like) - Do your work. Work is important. Everything else should coincide with your work; work until you gain that consciousness. Only then will you realize that our life moves forward accordingly. When you indulge in other meaningless things, you deviate from art. Art is our constant companion, our friend...work until it becomes that.

Format your life accordingly and it will move forward consequently. When you start realizing that, you will understand that the greatest thing in your life is how you synchronize your entire life with that activity. Once you get that, your life will go on smoothly. That is where day-to-day challenges and sustainability arise.  I have noticed one thing be it KGS or Somnath Hore, they will be working all day long in their studios. Anybody who requires their assistance approaches them in their studios. They don’t move out. To make art a way of life is the greatest challenge and not how many likes one gets on Facebook, or your picture in the newspaper, or the number of shows one has been part of. Art is always there with you everything else that appears in Page 3 is transient.

Still from the recent video ‘The Pledge’

Deepa: What are the new works you are engaged in right now?

M.Cheeroth: I am engaged in painting right now. Performances are also on the way, immediately. I was part of the discussions at the Mathrubhumi Literature Festival that was held recently in Thiruvananthapuram.  It was about the political challenges of our times.
I have been invited to B V Doshi’s Vastu Shilpa Foundation who will be conducting an International Studio with students from the University of Michigan and from India. The Studio is entitled "At the Cusp of Land and Water". It’s from 26 to 28 Feb and from 4 to 6 March 2019.

You can reach Murali Cheeroth at cheerothmurali@gmail.com

I am assured that this interview will be beneficial to all the students of art who wish to know about this genre and to the fellow artists and of course everyone else who would like to have an idea of what goes on in the art world particularly the work and process of an eminent artist like Murali Cheeroth.

Part of this conversation was by email and part of it was recorded which was then translated, transcribed and edited by me. Thanks to Murali Cheeroth, for the enlightening conversation that made this interview possible.  I sincerely hope that I have been able to do complete justice here. 

Hope you found this interview useful and informative. You can send your feedback to mail.huesnshades@gmail.com.

Image courtesy: Murali Cheeroth