Recitation 5 - A hundred lights, soft pastel and water based pigment on paper, 48 x 60 in
"Painting is ultimately a culmination of several emotions and memories," says Abul Hisham, while talking about 'Recitation,' his second solo at Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai. As the Thrissur-based artist shows us around, his wife follows behind, clicking pictures of her husband and occasionally, whispering something to him in Malayalam. Hisham, 32, works mostly in soft pastels, inspired as he is by the Quranic verse ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raaji'un.' "It means, 'human beings come from dust and shall return to dust'," he explains. Soft pastel is like clay and "can be moulded into any shape...After all, pastel is a solid form of dust," he muses.