“The only constant is your embracing life…"

Paris-based Galerie Dominique Fiat recently hosted a series of her new works. A performance and gripping photographs literally ‘embodied’ words- made them flesh-wherein she cut meat into ‘Keywords’, which reflected on utopia’s and dystopia’s, affecting us. The artist extended the visible thin line wherein words would act as corporeal manifestos to analyze the world around, as seen and perceived by her. Deftly engaging the political through an astute aesthetic investigation of text as well as theory, she demonstrated apparent interest in the primacy of touch right alongside the visual.

Elaborating on the works, an introductory note stated: “In ‘Kash (for Kashmir)’, she used baroque ceiling rosettes, covering them with white velvet and then embedding them with photographs of people, landscape and flowers. Only Kash (meaning ‘hopefully’ in Hindi), is retained in the word, marred by a black dripping line of blood-filled political conflicts.” This line of thinking was the binding thread in works that investigated a human concern with both personal and societal loss and regeneration. In ‘Babel’, she presented the chaos, cacophony and disillusionment in lives presently, along with the joy, beauty and hope that made it all worthwhile.

Anita Dube has created works that point to a testing of existing perceptions. Through her work, she tackles fragmented realities - deftly or directly, as her theme demands. For instance, ‘Illegal’, a persuasive and compelling series by her, was a direct engagement with the received image, in this case, the print and television imprint of the prolonged Iraq war, of scenes of loss and degradation and a numbing sense of ubiquitous fear. Encapsulating her art processes and philosophy, she mentions that she sees some of her work executed, like in a daydream, a vision.

The artist only needs to make it real. At times, they are result of pure process, gradually unraveling. She sums up to say: “The only constant is your embracing life so that the work can materialize. There’s no stepping back, being in a cozy place of comfort. You’ve to completely soak in both the positive and negative experiences. Hence I say it’s a rather painful and difficult place to be in. You neither can hide nor lie to yourself; everything is too palpable…"