'My pre-occupation
and concerns about the environmental issues in urban living has naturally
reflected in this current series of works. I have tried to focus on the need of
co-existence and also the nature itself becoming adaptable with the humans by
finding new, unusual places to grow'. -Urmila V.G.
In her new
series of graphic woodcuts, Urmila VG emphatically responds to the world around
her; an urban scenario in which the dichotomy between natural and man-made is more
apparent as time passes. Flowers sprouting from an obsolete radio, a vine
making its home on a sewing machine, a healthy shrub extending its shoots from
a shoe – these are some of the images from the series on display, in which the
artist makes unlikely partners of household gadgets and natural vegetation. They
are light-hearted commentaries at first glance; the objects incongruously
support their new growing occupants and Urmila moves between mimicking observed
conditions and using elements of exaggeration and ‘staging’ as part of her
visual language. The forms are sharply defined against patterned backdrops, and
the bold delineation of space accentuates the fine detailing and contrasting
colours printed in sequence off the wood-blocks.
Underlying the
satire are rather poignant thoughts about our collective present and the constant
tussle between man and earth. Nature’s ingenuity is remarkable in that it
improvises and finds ways to survive in the most challenging of circumstances.
It is a small lesson on life and living. Each plant here is a protagonist,
demonstrating its resilience despite lack of accommodation elsewhere. Crevices,
notches and tiny openings become spaces to spread roots, as the leaves, shoots
and blooms adapt and expand. The eternally opposing forces of growth and decay,
the integral relationship between sentient and inanimate things, and permanent
and perishable material all form a part of the layering of meaning in the
works. The notion that some of the items were once used, part of an urban life,
and now lie useless, contrasts with the vibrant regeneration of the natural
world where cycles of life and death follow each other. Perhaps the fact that
they become receptacles for new life gives the industrial and mechanical
objects new meaning. The works stand for many different things, leading the
viewer to interpretations based on their innate responses. The imagery
essentially reflects the way Urmila perceives life, and sees her role as an
artist.
Additional to
the series of woodcuts are a set of photographs, establishing Urmila’s constant
interaction with the subject and her ability to look at and absorb things that
one might miss in the rush of everyday life.
Lina Vincent
Sunish 2012
