Have you ever lain on your couch, staring lifelessly into the void? While you are at it, an imperceptible bond forges between the mind and the physical limits of its surroundings. It’s this unseen symbiosis of living in one’s habitat, that Mona Sharma captures in her painting exhibition: ‘A Mind Within a Space.’
Running at Kala Ghoda till November 19, the exhibition comes from a place of curiosity. “It is an attempt to unravel the intricate relationship we share with our intimate world — that which houses us — and the interplay of this ever-evolving bond,” shares Mona, a multidisciplinary artist whose practice revolves around lived experiences and the idea of a home.
Within the series of 13 paintings, spaces change to evoke a sense of unease and restlessness. With chapters like “Stay Calm”, “It’ll Pass Soon”, and “Are you OK” – the imageries portray a longing to feel at ease, as individuals quietly grapple with the weight of being still, unwittingly believing in the process and living life on the edges.
Mona Sharma
Anxiety in stillness
The stillness in Sharma’s paintings can be deceptive. Despite the burden of restful inertia that her subjects encounter – they are constantly engaged in a multitude of thoughts. In staying put, they become vessels through which thoughts flow uninterruptedly, as if in a contemplative meditation mode. Consequently, their mental states switch as we go from one space to another, peeping into their minds and the reality they inhabit.
Eating Anxiety
In “Eating Anxiety,” you witness four men gathered around a compact circular table, coming together for a meal in a lively backdrop of yellow hues. The act of bonding over food is a universally cherished concept, regardless of your location. However, in Mona`s artwork, these individuals are drenched in blue acrylics, each focusing on their plates, maintaining a profound silence and avoiding any eye contact.
Essentially, they are internalising their anxieties and in doing so, they become interconnected. Placid and expressionless – their faces narrate the stark reality of people undergoing internal turmoil yet bound by social duties. Perhaps they would like to feel righteous about showing up for the community – but are they even present in that moment?
Similarly, “Looking at Us” symbolises the concealed rapport between two people who are connected on a mental level. Despite the connection, these individuals are looking away – trying to discover themselves and finding a sense of belonging in their surroundings. It’s a commentary on people who are conjoined together yet feel incomplete – almost on another quest to fill the ever-expanding void.
At the peak of their blues, and bound by the confines of space – the painted metaphors disclose an authentic illustration of individuals absorbed in contemplations while yearning for a satisfactory conclusion to their anxieties.
Life on a canvas
Mona is an observer of little things. Her painting palette comprises mixed emotions, perceived reality, and the banality of everyday life. For this exhibition, she drove back to her childhood home to trace its tangible, brick-and-mortar features. The result was a set of six works under the same exhibition, but by the name – “I want to go home.”
Painted like a faded memory – in Sepia tones and rugged corners, the house that was once a ‘home’ now stands as a steward of vintage memories. The unmissable aspect of this set is the bright spot in each frame that is symbolic of life that once thrived within the boundaries of the house. Be it the purple flower pot, the sheepish sun rays or the enigmatic blue lights through the grills – colours echo the lived experiences of a now abandoned house.
A Sunny Day
“A Sunny Day” represents a road trip undertaken by a family on a bright morning. The painting is a metaphorical depiction of life’s journey personified as a moving car. Traversing through life, like travelling in a car – becomes the coming together of two canvasses. And just how, two realities collide – two opinions emerge.
Both sets of opinions work together and coexist despite the differences. There is a loop of emotions, conversations and arguments running inside the car’s atmosphere which seem aligned but are not quite. There is a tinge of toxicity that has engulfed the air and is inescapable – as each member is bound by the definite confines of a car. Despite the chaotic air, the journey flows like the bond that a family shares even in the face of negativities.
“On the Toes” depicts a girl who lives life on the edge, but her mind remains in the sanctuary of her bed. It’s a state of mental conundrum where one is expected to deliver without a pause, fulfilling the expectations of people while visibly struggling in that pursuit. The painting sings how even if people can see your efforts, they cannot see the dire desire to take a break and rest on a plush pillow, covered under a warm quilt.
Forging perspectives
A peculiar element in Sharma’s paintings is the depths she adds via compositional tools. “I use diverse textures to let the viewer enter the painting. This is achieved by adding layers that direct one’s eyes to the distinct features. To top that, I also play with perspectives that play a role in drawing someone into the painting with converging lines,” shares Mona.
It`ll Pass Soon
Life-like and banal, Mona’s paintings transition from an indulgent couch rotting session to living in harmony with beak-poking pigeons. It’s a dichotomy of rest and disquiet, pain and numbness, aloofness in a gathering – an allegory of sorts. Things simultaneously fall in and out of place like the theatrics of seasonal changes, causing slight discomfort but nothing unusual or unexpected.
With varying skin tones achieved through red, yellow and blue hues – Mona has experimented with colours to evoke a myriad of emotions. An interplay of light and dark also becomes instrumental in defining the mood her subjects are undergoing. Additionally, a vibrant set of colours takes the shape of the running themes
that depict the everydayness of life.
Hailing from Mansor, Madhya Pradesh, Mona is pursuing her Master in Fine Arts from the Government Institute of Fine Arts. She primarily uses watercolour while some of her artworks are in acrylics and oil paints. Apart from these, she has also worked with other mediums like sand, tissues and fabric to convey materiality.
Attend till: November 19
Time: 11 am – 6 pm except Mondays and Tuesdays
Address: Mezzanine Level, Method Kalaghoda, 86, Nagindas Master Rd, Kala Ghoda, Fort
