Blindshot

 A picture should exercise an experience of some sort, a stimulant or a trigger to begin with. How many times do we notice such triggers? People do look out only for provocative, shocking, surprising, out of the box stimulants to be honest. What about the art which doest shout loud enough but possess a captivating and humbling quality? Are temples carved out of stone, a mere craft?  What about the power of imagination and the presence  in those sculptures? Are they just objects, objects of worship alone? 

Art is what we want to believe? How many pictures will have the power to behold our eyes and mind?  Not many. The truth about a picture, is born out of itself and artists are the instruments. We artists can proudly say we have done a masterpiece but is that the reality? If so whatever you touch should’ve been gold? The same recipe tried and tested over and over but still a masterpiece remains so unique. Many people say it was the lead to a masterpiece- what about the art works that are to follow the masterpiece?  

I have been forcing myself towards incorporating newness in my work. I haven’t been able to successfully achieve the change that I am after. A sense of disbelief is hovering around every time I disappoint myself with repetition. What is this repetition all about? 

I have realised that there are images of the mind, that needs a proper channel to be expelled out irrespective of artistic skills. People still are not able to put it out in a lifetime. We do see artists working on something over a lifetime and still can’t digest the urge to pluck it out of themselves, an obsession. Is this, just an attached memory over a period of time? All skills do become a part of muscle memory and not an intellectual exercise? like driving, cycling, walking and so on… if so what makes an intellectual exercise different? To keep us conscious every time we perform? Can we even perform at all being conscious about what we are doing? Can we engineer everything we do? Is it possible that a human life filled with complexities and actions be documented as and when performed leaving nothing behind?  

We do tend to push things towards the known end of our experience arena and conclude every time with bare minimum success. When we are free from our preconceptions, our mind allows the momentary everyday experiences to take over our judgement and enhance the quality of life.  But how do we control this, is it even necessary to control? An introspection, a self-infused exile from all the comforts of having been done this and that may lead again back to the same question, whether it is necessary to make sense of everything? 

I tried working without this comfort zone through various drawings, more often than not it ended somewhere close to where I left the last time. Coming out of your socket is not easy by any means. Now how to open up to the unfamiliar? How to come up with ideas that do not exist around you? 

Unfortunately, every artist that you come across is much concerned about creating an identity, a style or what they call ‘a language’ in today’s art world. Repetition creates familiarity and familiarity is nothing but a recognisable entity- a ‘language’. That ‘language’ appears to be the code of acceptance and recognition of an artist by the established to the younger ones. The ‘unique language’ is expected to be discovered by every individual artist on their own and once successful, paradoxically they are destined and obliged to follow the time tested path, with the same set of limited audience and similar patterns to sustain as an artist! 

Moving away from the known to the unknown in search of a journey alone seems like an understatement of a fool to many. In such a situation, one who craves for this journey is left alone banished as a lost soul. People try to convince and console through as many ways one can think of and to be one among them is the right way to live!

Never bother what people are up-to but as an individual shooting in the dark to search something that is not visible enough, takes a lot of courage and belief in the very existence of the unknown. Even though as many artists across the globe spoke vivaciously about this unknown being the factor to crave for, very little interest or aspiration have been shown by majority.

Is there a method to explore this phenomena of discovering the unknown and keep exploring them constantly not feeding the ‘language’ enough? I wonder if such a thing exists! when things are left to grow on their own, they evolve shooting from all directions and a chance may occur for it to shoot in the darkness only to find the new unknown and move on to the next. There’s another way to look at it as well; when there’s a need there will be a direction. 

When one wants to live fully to his experiences- his act may not be the act of an expert. Majority of the artists with well-furnished skillsets are much disappointed with their outcome of art as compared to an amateur artist who is making art only for momentary validation. The mastery hurts and plays around the ego of an artist.  But the humbleness and lack of recognition may actually serve as a powerful tool to remain relevant in the hunt for discovering the new.  

 

Beyond the template

Should art become an intellectual exercise without involving any emotional traces to it? What is the significance of emotional value in art today? is form and feeling no longer subject of validity and considered outdated today? Why trends in art become so important that individuals graduate from art schools start observing and follow trends sooner or later? What is the role of an individual in this dictation of few controllers of the so called trends? What do people identify as contemporary art? Why even call it by such names? is material alone validates as contemporary art today? Is technology alone make music? Have we started to look down upon the spirit or the content beneath material appearances? 

Even today, Re-presenting ‘likeness’ of the outside world through art, excites and entertains everyone inspite of changing trends throughout the global history. The other worldly becomes absurd and disoriented. The absurdity infused in a limited context is still welcomed but not as a concrete entity. Other worldly visions are not created everyday by everyone. Their identity, apprehensions and validation becomes extremely subjective and difficult however ‘naturalistic’ is palpable and convenient for the common. 

There are ideas such as the traditional mediums are archaic and bound to create only eye pleasing or decorative art with limitations of dextrous skill, inappropriate representation of time due to lack of material knowledge and implementation or awareness about growing technology (in the context of today), so on so forth. The stance here, is not necessarily based on aesthetic, emotional nor subjective value of art but only of the shift from the conventional with respect to time.

This tosses up another question as to what makes this trend valid; that anyone can make art with whatever material or non material used as a medium of art? How does one define art experience up against the movement of the masses to produce art as an industry to cater innumerable spaces and people within the conformity of the so called art system?  Is art experience less important today that the material alone takes the centre stage? Or the sensual or visual experience of witnessing art is perceived existent, only at the face of an unconventional or non traditional medium? 

Insinuate a different material out of its actual functional purposes, modify its material value and present in a cube or out in the public as ‘liberating from the outdated cube’ consider the longevity of material and craft as high value artistic product, makes majority of the art today. 

Let's consider adapting new material as the primary eligibility for a high value art, the initial stage for this would be to find an alternative material against learnt and practiced traditional ones like Acrylic colours or oil paints. (Now, for majority of self taught artists, it is almost near to impossible to sustain in the art system albeit few opportunities and acceptance (this indirectly reinforces the need for artistic skills acquired through art education). A struggle to cope with material limitations and knowledge, A constant tussle to find new material consistently and adapt in a short time (it is to be observed here that even with great exposure to traditional art mediums today, like pencil or water colour, an individual needs enough time to absorb and execute technicalities related to any medium). 

Is it possible to keep finding new materials and switch consistently as well as create artistic projects efficiently? Even if you are able to do that successfully over a period of time, one arrives at a format/ a template, what we popularly and inappropriately label as ‘process’. The template that works for an individual becomes his/her mode of expression. At this point, introduction of any new material becomes only a surface, a mere appearance. Everything else fits into an identifiable, accepted, anticipated and valid convenient pattern- with this pattern developed, there’s hardly any difference remains between the usage of conventional and non conventional art medium. The very idea of using non conventional material remains valid only as ‘new object’ than adding up any artistic value.  If everything has to be expressed in a certain predictable way, the material makes no great difference until unless shock of the new settles in. Surprise factor still holds the mighty power than the actual artistic experience. 

   

Today creating a piece of music or art is much easier than before. But in reality art is difficult because it takes a lot of effort and time. Art is about reflecting and representing the self in a specific time, at least for an individual. Our technological advancements should have taken us toward progress inwards than external appearances. Perhaps art is the scale to gauge our progress in future. 

   

Time Fragment

 What makes a thought contemporary? is it an awareness about today's world? if so what makes this any different than people of the past in their times? 

A significant difference in comparison is created with introduction of  the Internet. Today, a tap on the screen is enough to know about remote corner of the world in seconds, however authenticity of the information remains unquestioned but access is evident. What information we chose to believe is subject to individual choices. 

Drawing connections between these scattered informations is a personalised process. when we make an effort to fill the gaps between what has been said and what it appears to be through other means of observation and reading, collectively fused together forms our version of the story. Our emotions and cultural conditioning plays a powerful mechanism to process these informations. 

We have learnt concerns of the past, the wars, suppression, slavery, inequality, discrimination of the individual as well as certain community. we are well aware of the history, however these issues are pertinent and exist between us even today. Ironically we haven't been able to find a resolve inspite of several years of study and modifications in administrative policies. Rest assured that these issues are not present today in the same old form but with a new complexity.   

The complexity of the age old problems is so much intricate today,  making it excruciating to separate ourselves from the existence of these disturbances, making us both retort and at the same time be an integral part of it than take up the responsibility finding a wholistic resolve. We are struggling to separate ourselves from the problems even as an observer or a spectator. our lives are intertwined if not dissolved more than ever with these complexities. 

In today's world, our correspondences, lifestyle, art, culture, administration so on so forth have taken up this complexity reflecting the time and its characteristics. one is dissolved in the other. the question arises as to how is it possible to comprehend and negotiate this complexity? 

We have gained more attention and sought demand for research more than ever. There are growing number of researchers and relentlessly blooming universities exist today than before. Have we managed to keep up the pace to understand our time inspite of our technological resources and knowledge? As an individual, the pause and reflect may be one of the many solutions to address this learning, but do we have the luxury to do so in this unstoppable force of constant rapid movement? 

We are driven by a system, more mightier than ever. you chose to call it capitalist or fascist or anything else but the existence of a mighty force is felt every moment if carefully observed. We reveal and record our lives every moment, and we are stipulated to function this way may be temporarily, tweaked through a strong evolutionary byproduct of communal living inherent to us.  

When we are inevitably intertwined in this fast paced power frenzy current, how are we supposed to make creative or intellectual interpretations of our time? at least as an expression, let alone be defined in future. The current is so brisk and rapid that before we manifest a stance, there’s a new appealing yet modified version presented before us further intensifying what was already complex.  so in short this agenda driven manipulative movement (however you may want to identify) has caused a tentative time which doesn't allow us to think and reflect but only to direct endlessly until we reach a predesigned destination, like time loop. 

This ever changing manifestation of movement is tangible not as concrete anymore because of complexity but fleeting and momentary. The amalgamation of time, culture and lives have been shifting too rapidly to trace the trajectory of change at least at present. however today, we have acquired the capacity to behold and scrutinise specific tangible fleeting experiences which are the essential parts of what makes this movement challenging to comprehend. It is these fleeting momentary experiences that remain as fragments of time that guide us to understand the movement within complex structures. These scattered and gathered pieces of invaluable fragmented cognitive experiences when translated as an artistic expression reflects our time effectively. 

The explosion of information whether necessary or not, the consumer driven directions to keep the restless and anxious movement alive, the superficial need, weaved through inevitable participation, exclusion of the absent and promised validation of the presence makes it impossible to hold anything concrete as a subjective interpretation. The little trails left by the change encapsulates the time more effectively and efficiently making the thought fleeting, fragmented and disoriented but truthful to time.