Kolkata-based Gallery Range and Gallery Exposure got together to put on an interesting show
recently. Titled ‘My Own Muse’, the show was held to mark the 112th birth
anniversary of the world renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Goan artist
Vitesh Naik was among the artists invited to participate and share his unique
interpretation of Kahlo, an inspirational figure to millions around the world.
Frida Kahlo died in 1954 at the age of 47. She endured a
lifetime of pain and disability, including polio as a child and spinal and
pelvis damage from a horrific bus accident, which led to her embarking on her
journey as an artist. Known for her portraits and self-portraits that melded
fantasy and folklore in vivid ways, she was the first Mexican artist to be
included in the Louvre. A central figure in 20th century art, Kahlo not only
left behind a legacy of intensely personal and powerful visual images but grew
to become an enduring role model for generations of artists, people with
disabilities, women and creative people.
She employed a naïve folk art style, using surrealism and magic
realism to touch on questions of identity, gender, class and race in Mexican
society. So many years after her death, her work and her life continue to
inspire people all over the world.
For the Kolkata group exhibition, Vitesh Naik explored his own
response to the impactful artist. In two mixed media works on paper, he places
Kahlo as a central figure surrounded by elements from her larger than life
story as well as Goa. In a wonderful reinterpretation, he brings Kahlo to Goa
in a style reflective of her own –with touches of magic realism.
“Frida Kahlo is my all time favourite artist not only because of
her sensitive paintings but also for her strong personality. She fought her
challenges until her last breath. I started wondering what if Frida Kahlo comes
to Goa. This could be a good fusion of the Eastern and Western worlds and so I
painted her in harmony with Goa’s nature, lifestyle, dressing, etc. These two
paintings are my tribute to Frida Kahlo,” says Vitesh.
“In these two paintings, I did not want to show her tragic phase
and so I have placed her in an imaginative world of happiness, a magical
setting full of energy and positivity – the land of Goa,” he adds.
In ‘Minha Vida’ (My Life), the artist employs a poetic visual
language replete with meaningful symbols and metaphors. A young Frida is placed
in Goa’s lush landscape, dressed in colourful Goan attire. She is alive with
energy and vitality, “with lots of hope and dreams in her eyes. She is about to
dance with joy forgetting her suffering and unbearable pain.”
A host of vibrantly coloured butterflies flit about the
impressive personality while a tigress sits still and looks out calmly at the
viewer. Says Vitesh, “I have tried to show how beautiful Frida is. She cannot
be measured, counted in a time frame. The clock on the stand and parrot holding
time sticks depict her as an eternal beauty. She was ahead of her time in
thinking, style (like her different hair style, ornaments, dressing sense). She
is a complete optimistic and enjoying the different colours in nature (Goa).
She never gave up; she fought back and conquered the hearts of the world. The
tigress symbolises her firm belief in herself. Her unshaken attitude towards
her problems in life makes her a truly strong woman. In the background the
Sahyadri range looms, they are calm and powerful and protect Goa from natural
calamities.”
In ‘Minha Visita’ (My Visit), the artist presents Frida’s short
imaginative visit to Goa. She is the queen of the table, enjoying a game of
cards as well as Goa’s pomfret! Engrossed in her game, she is focused on
winning while behind her Diego Rivera holds up the queen of hearts. “She was
fearless and a fighter in her life,” says Vitesh. “She fought against all
obstacles and enjoyed this colourful life queen of the world.”
The
artist-muse relationship has always fascinated viewers. In ‘My Own Muse’,
Vitesh’s homage to Kahlo plays out in so many different ways, with the Goan
artist not only celebrating her life and spirit but doing so in her own
distinctive style, with elements of the real and surreal, a hallmark of his own
visual idiom.
