On Creativity and a couple of my Poems

If you ask me what I love more - painting or writing, it's difficult to decide. I love both, equally. Both have their own merits. Sometimes my visions come out through painting, sometimes through writing and sometimes both; some being repeated and reinforced. It’s difficult to pick one! As I recently replied to *Sonia’s blog post - Did the form find me? where she talks about the process of her writing. Such conversations with myself had been there for a long time and what with Big Magic. I am coming to that in a while. I don’t start with the whole, I begin with a vision/dream, catch-phrase, a sentence basically a fragment that keeps repeating itself to me so much so that I have to let it free, out into the world of reality. It takes a form and life of its own without any support from me, I feel. All the same, you are in a state of limbo until you finish it. You do not exactly know how it's going to go. 

It’s like what Elizabeth Gilbert says in **Big Magic – it’s something external, something outside of ourselves that provokes us into creativity. It was believed in ancient Greece and Rome that creativity did not come from human beings but it was a divine attendant spirit that came to you from some distant and unknowable source for a distant and unknowable reason. It was called Daemon; a genius spirit. Even Socrates believed that he had a daemon who spoke wisdom to him from far.

“I am subject to a divine or supernatural experience… It began in my early childhood – a sort of voice which comes to me; and when it comes it always dissuades me from what I am proposing to do.”

Socrates as reported in Plato’s ‘Apology of Socrates’, around 399 BCE

Romans called it Genius which were magical divine entities who were believed to live on the walls of an artist’s studio.  There was this distance, a psychological construct, to protect you from the results of your creativity.

Homer, Virgil and Ovid believed that they had no talent of their own and that it was “breathed into” them by gods. Plato believed that poets became possessed during creation like some soothsayers and that it was some kind of divine frenzy. Vasari mentions Michelangelo as “directly inspired by God” in The Lives of the Artists. Einstein called it “a sudden illumination, almost a rapture”. Liz calls it “downright paranormal”. Even our very own ancient authors in the Vedic ages have attributed their creative outpour to God's voice and they themselves being merely a conduit.

Then came the era of rational humanism and the individual, self became important and genius came from within. That was too much of a burden for a mere mortal to handle according to Liz (and I do second her).

I am so fond of her story of the famous American poet, Ruth Stone who as a girl used to hear her poem thunderous and barrelling towards her and the whole earth under her would shake and then she would start running like hell to get a piece of paper and a pencil. Sometimes she would reach her house on time to collect her poem sometimes she would miss it and at other times as the poem moved away through her, she would grab it by the tail while writing on one hand and drag it into her and then the poem would appear backward; from the last to the first word.

Okay, now after all this talk about creativity and genius, my intention is not to talk about all that is magical and supernatural but there are times when you do feel mysterious and magical; that which can not be explained in normal terms of the tongue. I don't mean it happens every time but there are some rare ones. 

Without further ado, I just want to put forward my humble attempt at writing poetry. These are the poems that were appreciated when I submitted it to the Asian Literary Society. I have been contributing to the weekly and bi-monthly prompts since June. I had been writing for some years but wasn’t showing it anywhere (until around 2018 when I started submitting it when some close friends and family encouraged me to do so) though except a couple of them in this space here. You can check it under the tag Poems.

This post is to all my friends (real and virtual) who have been asking me to post my poetry and of course to all my lovely readers. Please do read and leave your feedback.

Below are 3 poems – Soldier (Certificate of Excellence), Thunder (Third Prize) and The Haunted House (Outstanding Performance). Titles are in bold letters. Images are all my digital manipulations from free photos.

 

  

The air rancid, smoky and scathing

Hills bellowing, mud floating, eyes burning

To the acrid acids of burning tanks and ‘broken wares’

Breath choking to the fury of both sides

Bodies muddled in mud, bleeding wet bond of blood

Facing death at each step, explosions devouring the valley

Where we tread hushed through barricades and trenches-

Like slopes of the valley at some boys’ road trip on a heyday-

The town stands flaming, distant shells bombarding

The land murky and scarred, battered to dust

The soldiers walk stealthily cold fear possessed

It’s a distant call, remote from our legions

Prominent men make agendas for conquering regions

In well-lit breezy rooms over a glass of champagne

While life and will of the common man is overstepped

No choices offered, martyrs made and sidestepped

For personal glory and amassing a fortune for conglomerates.

Like all siblings they did compete in sport

In all life’s adventures

The sky their home, their favourite playground

They ran hither thither

They loved their company, always near

Never needed any other

But there were times when they fought

Losing track of time

The sky rumbled all day and flashes appeared

Lightning wriggled like a snake

But sharp and white, fiery in its form

Just behind thunder roared

And rocked the long and wide dorm

Thunder always a step ahead

Lightning that shook the spell

Made her despondent the way things fell

Yet once the downpour cleansed their being

Like any sibling, they become jovial twain

Until another time when things went awry

And they tended to fight again.

Each house is a haunted house

With an imperceptible story

From a prior date of dwellers

In the past who are now on the walls

The silent pictures speak a thousand tales

Of hidden secrets and stowed details

As you walk from room to room, do you realize

The phantoms cascading in invisible guise?

-Treading – gliding – treading – gliding - 

They tread and glide without noise, they sit

On the staircase by the door that creaks a bit

As I move around doing my chores...sometimes less

Sometimes more, I hear -- (heart pounding)

-Pounding – pounding – pounding -

I hear them in the silence of the night.

The night so dark that it stares right back, in

The fabric of that night – if you stare hard enough-

One can see the forms pressing from the other side.

-Pressing – pressing – pressing -

Intangible impressions of the invisible hosts who

Dwell after we bid adieu (we may join them too)

Each house is then a haunted house.

*Sonia Dogra is an absolutely amazing blogger-writer I came across recently whose work Unlocked: Historical Tales in Verse was the first piece I read and was blown over simply because I never thought that anyone could write about history so beautifully in verse. It's apt for school kids and young adults to know more about the interesting facets of history. Sonia blogs at A Hundred Quills.

**If you are a creative and/or any human for that matter, you should read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert at least once. This is one book I go back to every now and then. There's so much one gain from it and it's truly a work of genius. I am a HUMUNGOUS fan of Liz and her words are soul-stirring for me at least. Every time I listen there's something new to learn. So do give it a try. If you have already read it, do share your thoughts.

Watch this video On Fear, Authenticity and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and Marie Forleo.

I am linking this post to ISWG (Insecure Writer's Support Group) and PPF (Paint Party Friday).

Limited Colour Acrylic Ink Illustrations

“Murky marigolds

Wonky streets
Stranger things”

Lately, I have been writing more often than before now that I have not been able to engage in my art regularly. Not only the pandemic but my health has also been affected a bit so taking a little time off. These illustrations below are a collection from inkredible inktober that I missed to share as I could complete it only by mid-March (began in October last year) when the lockdown started; definitely a much-delayed post. I have used Daler & Rowney acrylic inks on Strathmore mixed media sketchbook. 

The only good side (since I am unable to do my art) is that I have been taking part in a couple of writing challenges particularly poetry challenges, thanks to Asian Literary Society for the engagement. They had also hosted an online Art Exhibition, Navras 2020 - a nine days festival of art, culture and literature. You can check my art here on their official blog.

The prompts (of the inkredible inktober challenge) are not in this order though - adding a couple of my haiku too.

Spider gently spinning

Metamorphosis

Forest of Wonders

Berry Picking

Healing Roots

"Night in layers

Silence flows
Stranger things”

Fireborn

Floating house

Foxy tale

The fog awaits

Inner warmth

"Stillness and silence

Go hand in hand, a quick

Drop and rhythm breaks"

What do think? Which one did you like the best? Would you like to tell me the Top 3 or top 5?

Landscape Paintings of Kerala

I am taking part in the Art Chain India movement, an initiative that intends to assist and encourage the development of the art community through peer support in this uncertain period. I do believe it's a wonderful way to support each other at this point in time, a program where sale culminates in a buy and that idea is actually good and feasible. If only we had more of such initiatives and I do pray this movement succeeds whereby we can help each other out. 

These artworks were all part of the DISTANT and PERSONAL group exhibition of September 2019 that happened in the Lalithakala Academi Gallery in Kozhikode. All these are landscapes from in and around my native land like Nemmara, Malampuzha, Alappuzha, Kawa and Nelliampathy. They are original works and not prints. Details are given below:

🔗
Titles -

1. Feel the Light

2. Songs of Blue

3. Kawa

4. Island Home

5. Malampuzha in a whimsy

6. Winter Breath

Size - 24.13x17.18 cm (unframed)
Medium - Acrylics on Linen paper
Year - 2019
Price - 4000 INR each (52 USD)+ courier/shipping charges

Please comment below or email me at deepagopal.pkd@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing the artworks or even prints. These works are part of #artchainindia. I am sharing some works by myself priced under INR 10000/- Every time I reach INR 50000/- I will use INR 10000/- to buy a work of another artist under the Art Chain India and support a fellow artist.

Our Planet Week

Our Planet Week started an Illustration movement basically inviting all artists to create pieces that called our attention to care more and help OUR PLANET to get through this rough period of pollution, fires, unawareness, negligent governments, general indifference and so many more current environmental issues. It was basically a plea from Mother Nature’s behalf. This Instagram challenge was hosted by a bunch of talented artists:  

@asiaorlando_ @belliesartboutique @corahlouiseillustration @dancelstudio @elenig @hollymaguireuk @julika.illustration @lizarusalskaya @rachel_winkle

It ran from Feb 3rd to 7th and the prompts were:

1.Flora&fauna

2.Unite

3.Harmony

4.Mother Earth

5.Future

@ourplanetweek was supported by One Tree Planted (@onetreeplanted), the initiative which planted a tree for a tag, they mentioned.

I was able to do only 3 prompts as I was down with fever and infection and then I had to complete my twin paintings for a submission (fingers crossed). I deeply feel for this subject and my art does have that element, so naturally, I was drawn towards it but unfortunately could complete only the first three and here are those. The first two are on arches watercolour paper and the second on rice paper; I was trying rice paper for the first time, it's so thin and transparent that one needs to be extra careful. Love the texture. Need to practice more on it to get a hold and control of the watercolour on the paper.

Flora and Fauna

21x29.5cms, watercolour

Arches watercolour paper

Unite

31x46cms, watercolour

Japanese rice paper

Harmony

21x29.5cms, watercolour

Arches watercolour paper

This piece is special in that it's based on my FB friend, Ilakshee Bhuyan Nath's mother, Monita Bhuyan. I had seen a picture of hers sometime back and it had really moved me to the core. There was something deeply inexplicable feeling about it and I don't think I have captured it totally and yet here it is. It's based on this image. 

Isn't this AMAZING!!! Too good to be true, I felt!!

Linking it to Awesome PPF!

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 Chang 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 Chang, 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. 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.

This interview was recorded from our phone conversations (in our native tongue, Malayalam and English) and later I translated-transcribed and edited it.

Image courtesy: Murali Cheeroth