reimagine I

Interpreting objects is often a personal process. It comes from a space within, as responses to forms, sounds, visuals, and narratives. Every interpretation is unique, an amalgamation of distinct experiences, memories, thoughts and imaginations.

This week at Sarmaya, we wanted to “reimagine” objects in our archive. What happens when we respond to objects instinctively, disconnected from their historical contexts, and form our own meanings? Our imagination takes over and we make rather whimsical associations. Centuries and geographies apart, would the fish-shaped silver Larin coin ever find its way into a Warli fishing net? Would a majestic tiger from Jethro Buck’s miniatures walk casually into Amber Palace? How would a ‘vahan’ from a Mata ni Pachedi textile navigate today’s chaos and traffic using Google Maps?

reimagine is a series where we make connections across the collection and examine the extent to which our ways of seeing — and an object’s own meaning — are informed by time, space, and context. We time-travel across genres and objects from the Sarmaya collection, building our own dreamy narratives which are rooted in parallel, and sometimes disjointed, histories and cultures.

 

Jaipur

Jaipur has served as an inspiration to artisans for centuries, and continues to be among the global capitals of craftsmanship. This is no coincidence. A look at its rich history reveals the city’s deep appreciation and extension of support and patronage to the many master craftsmen and artisans who have shaped its landscape.

The state has seen long periods of peace during which the economy flourished, facilitating a trade of ideas and a merging of cultures that took shape in art. Patronage encouraged the quest for perfection and artisans focused on a single piece for months and sometimes years. Jaipur’s rich cultural heritage is immortalised in its architecture, gemstones, miniature paintings, frescos, Pichwais, jewellery and textiles. The city continues to inspire the mood boards of designers globally, and artisan communities carry forward its craft legacies.

A paean to the Pink City, this piece from our reimagine series strings together rare books, photographs and art selected across time from the Sarmaya collection. A tiger from contemporary artist Jethro Buck‘s Ways of seeing Tigers strolls into the gates of the 17th century Amber Palace. Paintings of precious enamelled objects that flourished under the reign of Maharaja Man Singh are found in the most uncanny of places. A large necklace (Aad) hangs atop the building, delicate blue pottery vases are found across the frame as an enamelled boat floats by. Stepping out of a late 19th century photograph, local residents hang out against this opulent, surreal backdrop.

All Images © Sarmaya Arts Foundation:
Amber Palace, Jeypore, 1860-1890.
‘Embroidered Pichwai’
Indian Jewellery,1906-1909, by Thomas Holbein Hendley
A Masterpiece Of Oriental Magnificence- Palace Of The Maharaja Of Jeypore, India, c.1900s, Underwood & Underwood
Ways of Seeing Tigers by Jethro Buck

 

The Ocean

Cyclones Tauktae and Yaas have had devastating impacts on coastal states in India, with especially deleterious effects on fishing communities. The fisherfolk of our country find themselves displaced from their homes, and unable to venture out into the seas they so intimately know and depend upon for their livelihoods.

Bringing together objects across the Sarmaya collection that hold memories, rituals and histories associated with the ocean, this piece from our reimagine series is a quiet reflection on the experiences of fishing communities facing mercurial tides.

Holding a fishing net painted in the Warli style, facing a dark, rough seascape, stands a fisherwoman. Her net is cast wide and repeatedly, engaged in a battle with silver Larins, coins that were once a currency among tradesmen of the Arabian Sea. The Larins, imagined as fish, dodge and weave, attempting to evade capture. A photograph, a piece of Warli art, an engraving, and coins come together from across genres, artists and epochs to convey our appreciation for the people who bring us gifts of the ocean and brave its perils.

All Images © Sarmaya Arts Foundation:
Bombay Harbour: Fishing Boats, In The Monsoon, 1844, E. Goodall
Fisherwomen Of Bombay, 1855-1862. William Johnson
Fish Net by Sadashiv Jivya Mashe
Silver Larin of Dhabol Mint: Coin issued c. 1656-1672, Ali Adil Shah II.

 

Hunting

From the mid 16th century to the early 20th century, hunting was the most popular pastime for the Mughals, Rajputs, and the British. Hunting as a sport would involve days of planning, anticipation and the thrill of an unequal contest between hunter and quarry. Once necessary for survival, hunting slowly morphed from subsistence to an elitist indulgence. An indicator of one’s prowess with a weapon, and status in society, trophies were turned into souvenirs. Hunting was eventually banned in India in 1972 and this was celebrated as a significant development. Efforts continue to be made towards wildlife protection, conservation and resolving man animal conflict.

For our reimagine series we look at a colonial hunting scene borrowing across the Sarmaya collection from photographs, miniatures and indigenous art. Stealthily walking through a dreamy forest created by contemporary artist Jethro Buck, are a group of hunters from an 18th-century miniature, closing in on a lion. In strolls a mighty tiger, resplendent in motifs from Santosh Kumar Das’s Mithila landscape, asserting its rightful place in the forest. The real and imagined come together in this piece to create a play on perspective and to remind us that we share the planet with majestic creatures that need to be respected, cherished and granted their freedom.

All Images © Sarmaya Arts Foundation:
Wild Things,2019, by Jethro Buck
A Lion Hunt, 18th century
Untitled (Grand Duke Alexander of Russia & Companions after Cheetah hunt in March 1891), Lala Deen Dayal
Untitled (Hunter and the Tiger) by Santosh Kumar Das

 

Vahana

Hindu deities are often depicted travelling across the cosmos on various vahanas. The vahana is a mount or vehicle in Sanskrit. They are represented as animals or mythical creatures that accompany, carry, or guide the chariot of the deity, and are divine beings. The relationship between deity and vahana symbolises the interdependence and connection between different forms. This partnership is woven into much of Hindu iconography. Theirs is a reciprocal relationship, one of duty and spiritual guidance.

In this playful piece, we explore motifs used within Mata ni Pachedi textiles in our collection, travelling across objects from various time periods and artists from different generations. We welcome Bahuchar Mata mounted on her vahana, a rooster, to a chaotic street in a modern cityscape. Journeying alongside contemporary modes of travel – auto rickshaws, cars, trains and planes, they are unable to escape the familiar navigation tool that defines our everyday life – Google maps. This piece is also telling of the visual transformation taking place in the artform. While Bahuchar Mata drawn by Sanjay Chitara celebrates modernity through an evolution of the traditional designs of a Mata ni Pachedi textile, his son, Sumit Chitara goes on to contemporize the canvas entirely, focusing on elements of urban city life.

All Images © Sarmaya Arts Foundation:
Cityscape, Ahmedabad,’ 2020, by Sanjay and Sumit Chitara
Auto Rickshaw, 2019, by Sumit Chitara
Mata-ni-Pachedi: Bahuchara Mata, 21st century, by Sanjay M. Chitara

 

Lines

 

Dance

Dance is both a passionate expression of emotion and a medium of articulation. In India, dance takes shape in a dazzling diversity of forms that vary from state to state and has the power to move you deeply despite differences in language, form and cultural nuance. Dance facilitates a deep connection between performer and audience, communicating a secret code of emotion and movement, urging the viewer to respond instinctively. From classical to fusion, dance evolves as cultures meet, mingle and take inspiration from each other. The meteoric, fabulous rise of hip hop in South Asia, Indian weddings featuring ballroom dances, Bhangra fusion and TikTok dance trends dominating the world are a reflection of dance movements as repositories of sociocultural history and insight.

In an ode to dance forms, dancers, and the sheer joy of dancing, we bring you this jugalbandi inspired by the Sarmaya collection. Grooving along to Kishore Kumar’s classic Eena Meena Deeka is this hip group from Dibin Thilakan’s We Love We Would Like To Dance, while a musician from the royal court of Jaisalmer plays his sarangi. The gods from a Pichwai painting soon join in from their celestial planes. An Indian classical dancer twirls into the frame, leaving us all mesmerized. The jingle of her ghungroo subdues the music and cues a melodious classical tune. This quiet moment soon passes as Santosh Kumar Das’s embracing couple waltzes into the frame adding a contemporary twist, joined once again by Dibin Thilakan’s dancing couples.

Audio credit © Shemaroo Filmi Gaane
All Images © Sarmaya Arts Foundation:
We Love We Would Like To Dance, 2016, by Dibin K. Thilakan
Dancers and Musicians, Royal Court of Jaisalmer, 1880-1890 by Gobindram and Oodeyram
Raas Leela Pichwai, 20th century
Dancing Girl, Early 20th century
Untitled, 2018, Santhosh Kumar Das