Dharshana Bajaj

You paint sometimes not to make art, to sell, but just because there is a need to express yourself in a certain way. Sometimes, painting is just a way to air some old wounds, to bring the musky past out into the sunshine, and to heal the soul. Then, art is a very personal experience. A sort of therapy. At the end of it, it may seem like some chapters have finally closed. And the painting seems relevant no more. Like an exposed scab, or a dirty tissue,  you may feel like it’s no one else’s business to view it. And you know it’s time to paint over.  To use the canvas in more joyful ways. To begin a fresh chapter... And of course,  yes,  sometimes you paint over because you've had the work around for years and no seems to want to buy it...and you need a new canvas! 

Creativity is often about looking at an old thing in a new way. About juxtaposing two unconnected ideas, and joining the dots no one else can see. Sometimes it could mean coming up with an oxymoron, two totally contradictory notions as one, such as ‘tragic comedy’ or ‘Hell’s angels’. Or even ‘beautiful filth’. That’s what Chennai-based artist Parvathi Nayar has presented at the DAMned Art Show (another oxymoron in itself). An inspired installation in the shape of a beautiful, simple kolam, filled with ugly, filthy things picked up from the banks of the Adyar river. For those not in the know, a kolam is a typical, traditional decorative motif that most South Indians create with rice powder in front of their thresholds, or gateways. It symbolizes good luck and positive energy, welcoming all things good. To add filth to something that symbolizes cleanliness and godliness is hardly thinkable. To actually make a Kolam with all the world’s trash? Brilliant! Old tooth brush