Stories and Objects

Art Essay by N. DIVYA

During my initial years in Baroda, I observed the city with excitement and curiosity, noticing multiple mundane and routine activities. As I walked through the streets and gullis of the old city, I came across vehicles that often carried people’s whole existence, with objects bursting from them. I observed homes that flowed into one another, where personal household items appeared precisely arranged. I saw how regular daily second-hand objects are given a new life, sorted, organized and displayed on streets. It was these observations that led me to my interest in the significance of objects.

Something as ordinary as a chair holds numerous associations, and has the potential to open up endless tales. In these paintings, chairs are similar to portraits, distinctive and revealing. The tightness of the cane can depict the intricacies of relationships, and the slouch of a cushion holds the residue of time. A broken chair – a life cut short. A ripened orange chair – held within the ribs of one’s body. An old wooden chair – worn out, yet strong and still resilient. Personal stories and objects share something. They both exist beyond the tangible and hold memories as their fundamental core. It is within these spaces that I wish to trace my world.