Metamorphosis of art

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Metamorphosis of art

Thursday, 28 February 2019 | Saimi Sattar

Metamorphosis of art

Artist MICHELLE Y POONAWALLA’s digital display at the Kochi Biennale is a commentary on war and has attracted many eyeballs. In an email interview with Saimi Sattar, she talks about growing up with the masters and her grandfather’s profound influence in guiding her art

The masters were a part of your growing up years. How did they influence your choice of career?

I was fortunate to grow up in a milieu where art and creativity were constant. One of my fondest memories is of my grandfather, Jehangir Vazifdar who was a prominent architect and artist, bent over his desk, immersed in his experimental doodles. He was the one who recognised the creative spirit within me, early on and encouraged me to follow this voice by sharing his ideas on art.

I grew up in London and my family was very keen we made the most of growing up in this rich, cultural hub. I was very much familiar with the great Masters — Miro, Dali, Picasso. My father was (and continues to be) a keen collector of antiques, so we’d frequent the major auction houses like Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams. It is these early experience that helped me develop an astute eye and sensitivity for art.

You use a lot of symbolism in your work? How do you think it pushes the creative boundaries further?

I believe symbols and motifs, if used creatively, have the power to convey a powerful emotion or message. I enjoy the idea of opening up a new world of ideas and possibilities through my work and it is here that symbolism becomes a powerful tool. It prevents a work from being too literal and creates space for interaction and introspection for the viewers.

You’ve used a lot of butterflies in the past. What are you trying to communicate through them?

Butterflies are indeed a key motif in my work. I first began using butterflies when I was working on an exhibition with the students at the Gateway School, Mumbai. The possibilities of the butterfly was instantly apparent to me and I developed this motif, integrating it with digital mapping technology, for my show in New Delhi in 2018.

I find butterflies to be a powerful metaphor because though they’re fragile creatures with a short lifespan, they go through an incredible journey of metamorphosis. They have beautiful movement, which translates well formalistically into the dynamic, three-dimensional paintings I create. And of course, they’re a visual delight. One cannot help but feel positive just by looking at a butterfly in motion.

Education and environment are issues close to your heart. How do you try to make a difference?

Education and a better environment — without polluted air and toxic water — are the two vital keys to a better future. And of course, the two are interconnected as greater awareness and education creates sensitivity and individual action towards creating a better tomorrow. As a mother and a concerned citizen, I do what I can to lend my voice and position to create awareness and change. I’m delighted to have my art be a part of initiatives such as Sotheby’s Khushii: India on Canvas charity auction (2017) which raised money for Kapil Dev’s NGO, an organisation working towards the education of underprivileged girls, which I believe is a vitally important cause. I’m also working with some of my friends to put together a charitable show in April, that will raise money for a fundraiser standing in opposition to violence against women and girls. I’ve also done several projects with the Gateway School in Mumbai, which does terrific work with children who suffer with autism. On the environmental front, I was delighted to be a part of the Elephant Family’s “Elephant Parade” in early 2018, which raises money to save the Asian Elephants.

What inspired your project at Kochi?

I travel a fair amount, which gives me an interesting perspective on the paranoia and fear we live in. On the other hand, we’re surrounded by horrific stories about innocent people being displaced and lives lost; these become statistics and distant stories in endless news cycles, while we go on with our lives. I’ve been mulling over these issues and wanted to address them through my work which resulted in Introspection. It’s a multimedia installation that uses audio clips from newsreels and ambient sounds, combining these with 360 digital visuals and motion sensor technology to create an immersive experience for the viewers. I wanted the work to strike the audience at their core, creating a moment of contemplation.

Working with the digital medium, what does it hold out to you in terms of creativity?

Using technology in my work allows an element of interactivity with the audience. For Introspection, I incorporated motion sensors into the piece which brought an experiential element to it. The dynamism that is possible with technology, opens it up to a wider audience and I think for art to have an impact, accessibility is very important. It also resonates with the younger generation, who engage with technology constantly. We live in a digital world so using this technology creatively gives it a contemporary edge.

The work at Kochi Biennale addresses the issue of fragility and mankind looking at conflict and war. What role do art and artists play in the larger scheme of things for making a difference?

Art has always been a powerful catalyst for change. Images have a universal resonance that go beyond the boundaries created by language. We all have a response to art, whether we recognise it or not. At Kochi, there were artists from all over the world, bringing different ideas and issues to the table, for a very diverse audience. The power of art was evident in the way people from all walks of life were responding to the art. It was a reaffirming experience to be a part of this, to see everyone from young children, art students to the older generation, interacting and responding to what they saw.

Will you be taking this theme forward in the future?

Definitely. I’m already in the process of ideating future projects that will use technology to create artworks that will not only be visually thrilling but also have a thoughtful element to them. I strive to create works that up the ante in terms of their experience and message.

What was the response to the work especially since Introspection is interactive?

The response was overwhelmingly positive. I had people from all across the globe leaving messages after experiencing the work, describing how the piece had impacted them. I think the theme of the piece is something that has a universal resonance and I’m glad I managed to communicate this effectively, leaving the viewers with a powerful experience and afterthought.

When not painting, what are the things that you like to do?

My zen zone is my studio and I like to devote as much time as I possibly can to my practice. But I also oversee my family’s business and am committed to spending as much time as possible with my children. They’re both creatively inclined and I enjoy seeing the world through their fresh, young perspectives.

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