This morning, the water problem, I feel trapped in Delhi. Peeking into the water tankee I am checking the water level, the trickling of water. I hear the birds singing. 5:30 am and the sun decides to rise behind the Nehru place building. Water filled last nite in buckets to have a cool shower, I await the paper.
Imported Jam from London and fresh malaai taken from the milk I eat. Rs. 80 and I refuse one after the other. Finally an auto is willing to go by the meter. 8:30 am and I head to the washroom. I ask for tea and it is served in sometime. Listening to gurbani in the gallery, I keep on walking back and forth on the mezzanine floor. Music from the show is there in the backdrop. The hawk flies down to have a sip of water.
I am fitting paper into the neon green file, empty sheets which are the backdrops for works to come. Then I’m inside giving titles for my work. I am back on the Mezz. Floor drinking Coffee which I decide to put away.
I didn’t come yesterday. I start cutting paper and Jyoti appears. He had started on a work yesterday, a form twisting and curving and we begin an early morning discussion.
Jyoti shares his views about his earlier work (2005) and his current work. He mentions about how earlier the form was straight, than curving but now was all twisted up. He is contemplating on the placement of the figure, its scale and its link with the abstract form. He further adds about the interpretation of the form which can be taken as a Snake, metal pipe etc which he has no relation with. He explains about how he would always have a size for the canvas as per the work but now the process is reversed as the Canvas comes first and than the Composition.
He also feels that he has to be conscious in his work and works done just like that are not his best or complete for him. He is aware that many Artist prefer to work spontaneous but in his case he prefers to watch and be a spectator of his work at every stage. For him enjoying his work, be it a line on paper, a stroke of watercolor or acrylic on the canvas, he has to stop and spend time enjoying the possibilities of his work.
His current work for me has been exciting before the entry of the figure, the sheer grey tones of the form and the darker grey of the background playing the space of the universe. I look around to find the element of the sphere from his earlier work as an interesting subject.
Yesterday he had placed a small figure on the chair somewhere, as I try to find the traces of it, he decides to create a huge head in the center bottom half. Then we discuss of the new possibilities and the possible new meanings.
