Contemporising myths to find new voices

Issues of class inequality, environment degradation and gender stereotypes have always found voice in Nalini Malani's works, and so has the artist persistently contemporarised Greek and Indian myths to create visual vocabulary with a message. A retrospective of her works is a testimony to these many threads.

The Mumbai-based artist was recently in the capital for the third and final chapter of her "You Can't Keep Acid in a Paper Bag" retrospective, spanning 45 years, that will be on till Nov 30 at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.

Malani uses the stories of mythological characters like Sita, Cassandra and Medea to connect their life's episodes to contemporary issues and tell a tale that people can relate to.

"Myths are universal balls of truth that have come to us rolling through the history and we we have to see what is relevant to our times," Malani, who began her artistic journey in 1969, told IANS.

"I have tried to find different languages for issues like women, equality, gender and class inequality and environmental issues. So everything falls on how to

communicate and get attention of my viewers to find answers," she added.

So it doesn't come as a surprise when one sees her splendid work at the ongoing exhibition.

There is a video-shadow play "Transgressions III" (2001-14) and a multi-panel reverse painting installation "Twice upon a Time".

The installation has four cylinders suspended with a thread and three video projections. The video elements combine with reverse painting and shadows, with a

child singing a rhyme in the background whose verses are like "Vada Pao Rs.3, air time Rs. 149, neemboo pani Rs.3, air time Rs. 149... "

"The rhyme is talking of the time when a new networking came to India and wanted to attract more people with the best prices they were offering," said Malani.

One room at the exhibition has a series of her works purely based on her observation and memory she made on the streets of Lohar Chawl in Mumbai where she had her studio for over 25 years.

"There are several markets in this area where you can clearly see class divide. I couldn't photograph or sketch these people. SO I had to rely on my memory when I decided to document their lives," said Malani.

Then she made 30 small books of 30 pages, drawing from memory.

"I made mono prints with photocopy and each tackled each mono-print differently," she said.

Hence came out a series of images that have presence of different characters and different elements at the turn of each page. She almost made a selective videography

of these books that is on display.

Another ephemeral work of her adorning the wall of the gallery and it will be removed after the exhibition is over. It is aptly titled "Global Parasite"

"My agenda has been too make what is invisible, visible. The people who are building these world-class cities are poor people from developing nations like India and Bangladesh," she pointed out.

"They are earning pittance of wage and live in bad conditions. Their only luxury of entertainment is come to a shopping mall and buy a can of soft drink and watch people. I want to draw people's attention on this," she concluded.