PANG is an exhibition of recent works by Nicola Durvasula at Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, New Delhi. The word ‘pang’ denotes a jolt, a shock, a pain, a memory, an intuition, a yearning, a strong sensation, an emotion which comes out of the blue and punctures the humdrum. The word pang is onomatopoeic, suggesting the sound of the feeling –– pang.
PANG sits in the exhibition on a table between other graphic notations. These are a type of score that use marks, abstract symbols or text to suggest different sequences of sound. Graphic notations were developed in the 1950s through an interaction between avant-garde music and the visual arts; early exponents include Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Morton Feldman and Cornelius Cardew, composers whose scores are considered to be works of art in their own right. Durvasula’s graphic notations produced over a period of ten years, often have a curvilinear quality, a sensuality, and fluidity of line reminiscent of her figurative paintings. They have been interpreted by musicians on several occasions including for this exhibition. Recordings of three graphic notations –– PANG, GN4 and GN5 –– performed by John Tilbury, a pianist associated with Cardew and the music of Feldman, are included here.
Linked thematically to the graphic notations are a series of ‘single note’ monochromes. Raw pigment and watercolour have been mixed with Ganges water and layered to create strong luminous colours. These are arranged on a low platform in a composition that suggests a single chord. Durvasula’s figurative paintings are represented by six works on paper, which borrow from the conventions of Indian miniature painting, through their subject matter of portraiture and mythological scenes, as well as their fine brushwork, use of flat grounds and borders. Lacking the all-over completeness of Indian miniatures, these include fragments of narration but leave empty spaces which become openings for the imagination.
A shelf running at eye level along the full length of the gallery supports a series of 3D works. Similar to the artists ‘reddy maids’ from the 1990s, these sculptures combine found materials such as a leaf, a pebble, a brick, a plastic container, the wooden offcut from a previous exhibition, to create small-scale assemblages. Durvasula’s sculptures are freeform, although deceptively casual, being pieced together with great care into objects that appear like visual conundrums coded with references to Indian Vedantic and Tantric Traditions.
Last but not least, the exhibition PANG includes a newly commissioned short film The Painting by Will Eaves. A script written by Eaves ventriloquises one of Durvasula’s paintings as being in a conversation with the artist who tries to wrestle out its secrets. This takes the form of a wry but philosophical dialogue that poses a series of questions to the painting about the creation, status, interpretation and meaning of art. Questions the painting for the most part deflects.
Grant Watson