A solo exhibition of ‘Disruptive Self’

HYDERABAD: The ongoing solo exhibition ‘Disruptive Self’ by Shaila Nambiar at the Alliance Francaise de Hyderabad, brings to the fore how undernourished we are for a serious visual dialogue. It is time, the crafty artist, either starts reviewing their content or make way for the talented and articulate ones who submit a more meaningful statement than merely relay on cultural aesthetics. 

Shaila Nambiar, a postgraduate in textile designing from NID (National Institute of Design), Ahmedabad, is one such artist who provides a logical yet creative memorandum in the form of sculptures, drawings, collages, and installations. Larger than life sculptures: Brushes, bobby pins, safety pins, comb and scissors bear testimony to her stand as a woman and the forced societal perceptions of how a woman conducts herself. 

As one enters the gallery, the spectator instantaneously feels the ongoing rebellion in the form of twisted bobby pins, safety pins, scissor, comb and the long strands of hair flowing out of the brushes. Each object speaks the mind of the artist: “The idea of natural beauty is long lost. Women’s body is constantly under scrutiny and is used as an object, trying to redefine ‘perfection.’”

Somewhere, Nambiar makes us realise that women are engaged in the process of pleasing rather than relishing their own individual worth. Therefore, the deformity of the objects installed merely jolts up the audience to understand that there is a ‘Disruptive Self’ within her that need to wake up and answer the quest of her being. In the perception of the artist, it is for the woman to understand the tangles that she is caught up in. “I would like to believe that there is a rebel in all of us that brushes on to all our personal things,” says the artist.

Coming to her work process one can view the precession of thought and material blended into one. The oversized yet realistic sculptural installations emit an urgency to convey their messages. That’s where we see the artist merging her concept and skill together. She says: “I like to pay more attention to the thought, the concept, and the mood more than the material. The subject is the soul, and materials just fill the gaps in between. The material is ready to take mould, shape and perform when the thought is alive. Together as a whole, they make more sense.”

Besides, the sculptures on display are a series of inland letters which has a personal reference to the Gujarat riots. Every letter carries a part of her house destroyed during the violence and ultimately the relocation of her family. Therefore, each piece is a memory which she ceremoniously attempts to dissolve from her reckoning. The ‘Disruptive Self’ is a powerful exhibition which questions human behaviour. The show is on till November 10