Saturday, April 21, 2012

on the interactive Ritual Art of India




 set into a wall or by the side of a road - anywhere for that matter - i once came across a well tendered piece in the middle of a field - Indian ART crosses the borders of religion, myth, cult and magic - and all the while being interactive with passers-by. who, by the nature of worship and habit, will daub some colour on it, or place an object upon the formless that has been given form. this might be a flower or length of string, a bead, or some wax - it will differ from place to place. there is a practical purpose to it, and it has been in use for who knows how many years.


because of this, it galvanises community the way art should. it defies elitism. it doesn't require a museum or a gallery, or even a temple. it is an abstract visualisation of the divine - a communicative link between the known and the unknown.
Anish Kapoor has used such "pathway icons" as his prime inspiration. Minimalist painters like Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko were seeking to open similar discussions on the inner and outer experiences.
but i like the rawness of these - the used quality - and the preservation is ongoing as for the most part they are outside in the elements, exposed to the cosmic intelligence they revere.

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