Jayasri Burman whispers scents of the sea

At Art Alive the warm, coral and wine toned mermaids and goddesses remind us of the ancient world which regarded the earth as a mother goddess.Take it a notch further and Jayasri Burman reinforces the ethos of mother earth as a symbol of fertility, fecundity the wellspring of life and the seedbed of civilisation.In the organic flow of feminine fervour this exhibition goes beyond the white cube.

A series of still life studies with conch shells, a panoramic suite of muralesque canvases that leap out of the frames like stories bringing alive the poets of yesteryear, Jayasri Burman’s solo at Art Alive revels in a double dip of nostalgia, an immersion into the lexicon of nature’s lap ( Prakriti ) amidst a carnival of characters and choreography. KNMA Curator and author Premjish Achari’s little notes dance on the walls and remind us that the art of writing is a script that stands like the guardian of the reservoir of soil, water, air nutrients and flora and fauna.

Weeping Grace series

The jewel-like colours and the seductive contours create its own corollary of conversations.One recalls Jayasri visiting the Venice Biennale last year and standing in front of a work by Marc Chagall and posting it as her dream come true. In terms of her visitations through the myths of the earth and the metaphors that spin forth from Bengali literature which she loves, we think of the fantasia of Chagall that shaped her odyssey as an artist.

We are pulled into a utopia of identity and culture, from its origins in indigenous Indian societies to waves of historical and contemporary immigration, which have all contributed to an Asian identity abundant with diverse belief systems and cultures.

In the artworks, she creates scenes of serenity and lush tropicana, with the goddesses of the earth as central figures. Amidst the wine toned hues or monochromatic melancholia are mermaid like figures with feminine fervour who echo mystical connections and poetic rapture.Prakriti or Nature has been her mainstay over the past 4 decades and she weaves within the insignia of fertility. She has created feminine forms and birds and lotuses and flowers that flit and float between the oases of enriched universes that she creates.

Amidst the shore of dreams and the unveiling of stories we see her forms  blend seamlessly into the surrounding colours, illustrating a mystical connection with the sea/earth/botanical brilliance. Over the years Jayasri’s originality lies in her very personal synthesis of the influences she seized  from all sides of her life in Bengal as well as on her travels after marriage to Paresh Maity.

Monochromatic medley 

The central component of the new series are the seashells which references  mythology that the entirety of the earth rests upon the sea shores and riverine systems.

In the monochromatic lady she mirrors irresistible Earth, an ever flowing unconditional love  bestowed to us upon birth while ours is love for her, Nature that grows like ripening fruit both fermented and fresh drives our ambition to expand and all the while a universe seemingly cooling and heating like sour tongue airing, widening, making our earth  move away from sun. Its migrating destiny unknown, drifting outward to echo voiceless Nature, here is wisdom for us viewers to draw out like a resonant raga. Within textural terrain nature is coupled but loose, coiled and tangled with the beauty of small elemental details and parts.

Conch shell and a single earth goddess

The series of conch shells add dynamism and intrigue to the compositions. The still life series with botanical enchantment brings on a plethora of seascapes bathed in sunrise and sunsets, with the sun or moon peeking over the horizon, contributing to the dreamlike atmosphere that she masterfully conveys through his characteristic style.

From the tinted timbre of sun kissed shells sprout a plethora of elements: criss-crossing metaphors embellished with , tendrils of thought of  conch shells upholding the entanglements, births , deaths , destructions and violences and reparative connections inherent in world  history.

Ocean of Forms and Tagore

She reminds me of the great Rabindranath Tagore who wrote about the Ocean of Forms as well as On The Seashore. .His words come alive:

I dive down into the depth of the ocean of forms,

hoping to gain the perfect pearl of the formless.

No more sailing from harbor to harbor with this my weather-beaten boat.

And we think of Jayasri’s ancestors, who gave her a love for poetry as we recall  Tagore’s On the Seashore.

On the seashore of endless worlds children meet

They know not how to swim, they know not how to cast nets.

 Pearl-fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships, while children gather pebbles and scatter them again. 

They seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets.

Images come reeling like the crest and trough of waves and we think of her love for Bengali literature as well as cultural conscious upbringing that adds to her repertoire of richness.

Still life with shells and flowers

The single still life with shells  on the first floor addresses the theme of biodiversity and the evolution of nature in our ever-changing globalized world to emphasize the divinity of nature and the human role within. While the shells gleam in surreal silence the study is  reminiscent of both Indian and global mythologies and histories, questioning current topics such as global warming, impacts of climate change, immigration and identity issues. The connectivity with the earth and with humanity in which all living things are united, tells us silently that intercultural equality is sovereign. The shells take on an  allegorical aura and suggest man’s role in the preservation of things that go beyond the surface of the sea. Gallerist Sunaina Anand reigns supreme in design dynamics that run seamlessly through the scents and secrets of the sea.Each wall is waiting to be gazed at in silent seduction.

The vision of artist Jayasri Burman in this exhibition  unveils like an open door where semantic thinking is encouraged to remain connected to the world by becoming “one place”, united by Mother Earth.The hidden hints of  Devis ,  the Matrikas, the spirits of yore wrap around your senses. I walked out into the winter chill and switched on my phone  to listen to Tatiana Eva Marie and the Jazz Band singing  La Mer ( Beyond the Sea ).Let’s think of oceans and the marine beings that keep it living and throbbing in a world torn by wars.