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The South
Asian Life & Times - SALT |
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Contents
Art
Threatened
Dwellers
Rom Whitaker
Tee
Time @ Delhi
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Amin
Gulgee -Redefining the Language of Sculpture
Amin Gulgee has sculpted calligraphic forms and
Buddhas in copper and bronze and exhibited his work the world over.
Pakistan’s foremost sculptor, Amin’s natural and instinctive thrust is
towards spirituality. His work – reflective and meditative - speaks for
itself. It can be seen and felt. But Amin the man is seldom accessible. Amin
graduated from Yale with a Major in Art History. In an exclusive to SALT,
Amin talks about his work, his beliefs, his values and his passions, of
going through life as a thinking human being, .and how he has dealt with the
recent tragedies in his life. His father Ismail Gulgee, one of Pakistan's
greatest artists best known for his calligraphy and portraits, and his
mother, were murdered at their home, by domestic helps, in Karachi in
December 2007.
Karachi based Amin speaks
passionately about his new series and his upcoming show at Nitanjali Gallery
in New Delhi in February 2013.
In conversation with Roopa Bakshi. What new
paths have you covered in the past 12 years – since the time we last met?
Any diversification, any new creations? Over the past 12 years I have continued threads that
already existed in my work, and I have discovered new ones. I think through
my work. The process leads me; I do not lead the process. One thread that
has remained is my interest in bringing Islamic calligraphy into the realm
of sculpture. In my work 12 years ago the text was readable and now in more
and more of my work it is not readable. Although I use the same letters now
that I did then, they are freed from having a meaning.
Twelve
years is a long time, so it is easier for me to talk about what I am
creating at the moment. I am working on a series called Spider Raga. In this
series of work, I use the line from the Iqra ayat of the Koran which says,
"God taught man what he knew not." The Arabic script is Nakshi. In my body
of work, I use one line from the Koran in one particular script and I repeat
it over the years. Thus form for me becomes more important than the act of
writing. In my earlier works the line from the Iqra script was readable and
now for my Spiders it no longer is. The Spiders are homage to Louise
Bourgeois, the French-American artist whose spider sculptures have long
excited me. I wanted to create my own spiders using text. These Spider Raga
works are about dance, freedom and joy. They balance precariously, reaching
upwards. Dance is freedom!
A
new series has emerged called the Cosmic Chapatti. These works are very
controlled and meditative. They are about my great love of geometry and
pattern. It is my attempt to bring a sense of harmony and peace to a world
that seems insane. The process of creating these works was healing for me.
My workshop is a place of escape for me.
Both
the Spiders and the Chapatti works were part of a solo show I had last year
in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore at the Wei-Ling Gallery. I am continuing these
series for my upcoming show in New Delhi at the Nitanjali Gallery in
February of next year.
Finally,
the most recent work that I have resolved for my upcoming Delhi show is
called “Perforated Wall: The Love letter.” This work was inspired by the
poems of Rumi. It uses the script from the Iqra series and, as in the Spider
works, the script is no longer readable.
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