During the second phase of the group show of paintings at Malaka Spice, Pune, curated by Romartika Art Decoded, Artist Sharad Tarde and Suchita Tarde discuss about the nuances of abstract expression and Dr Amit Biswas, professor of ISI, speaks about the connection between mathematics and art with emerging artists. The entire discussion can be watched in the following video.
Artist Sharad Tarde was interviewed sometime back about his views on abstract expression. Following is the transcript of the same.
How do you approach the creative process?
I think I will always cherish the restlessness I have for drawing. But it means that I am not always restless, but because my mind is not satisfied with the answers I want from my travels, communicating with people, listening to their thoughts, reading, thinking, or because there is no innovation or difference in it, the roots of restlessness go deep. It deepens due to the answers coming from my mind, distractions in many places, and then slowly the restlessness goes to the extremes. Then I don't have an option but to paint, in fact, "to paint" is my medium of expression, my language. I always like to understand the moods and emotions of people living in different cultures and their behaviours/ habits. I completely reject what's pleasant, and easy because - if I 'like' to do certain things it means that there are feelings which are stuck somewhere in my mind and I've to deliberately avoid them by not doing the same thing over and over again. So, I definitely need and almost create an opportunity to do something new. I'm only interested in things that really bother me and things that force me to look at it in a new way, these challenging activities give me a new lift. The times when my paintings are accepted/ appreciated by art enthusiasts, I almost never do again and I try desperately to forget them because I strive to push the envelope for myself. But despite all this, it is not so that my hand will paint a painting which resonates with this feeling every time. For that too, I have to reject many things and thought processes, and because of these rejections, I have experienced that I can see new paths, I am called to them, and there is a slight possibility of "a painting emerging by itself" with new energy. Maybe that is what is called creativity!
Why did you choose the “Abstract” style in the painting medium ?
I have previously experimented with murals and sculptures in numerous ways. But when I realised that apart from sculptures and murals if one dives deeper in the medium of painting then sometimes one can stay distanced from one's feelings and thoughts and experiment and yet create something different. Another strong reason for this is that - while being present in the act ourselves, one can really, easily observe oneself through a third person because only you are solely present in the act. In my opinion, abstract painting is actually the artist getting rid of everything, and then the important task is to bear witness to what is being taken away from him. I think a lot of people shy away from abstract art because they try to identify shapes or things or faces - basically anything that can be put in a box and labelled, in the art, but they can’t find it. I grasp my paintings from the interpretations of people who express themselves to me after seeing my work - by listening to their feelings or their reactions. They can see the work anew, understand it, and realise it and I think their point of view is very important to me. When I am painting, I enjoy the journey of painting alone and I am in harmony with it. Through the people who see my work, I understand what has been created by my hand in a new light, in their language. I often try to work in the abstract style of painting, and sometimes it works, but oftentimes it doesn't, and this failure is what provides me with a new direction. I realise that this kind of art has the power to keep me experimenting countless times, so the art itself certainly inspires me to work.
Where do you get the courage to deny your own "identity"?
The goal of forgetting my identity did not automatically come to me. Many times, because of not getting many things in life and achieving different things despite working hard for something else, I have come to realize that better or unthought of things come in you than what we strive for, and that realization makes us more "awakened". I learned to do as many things as possible on my own, to realise various goals I set out for myself, and the constant support of my loved ones in this helped me to forget my "identity". Through the process of painting, and the practice of painting everyday I was given the power to forget my own "identity" with what was happening through me, paintings that happened through my hand. The habit of capturing a new direction, the play of thoughts in my head without getting stuck in any one picture style helps me to forget my identity. The consistency of turning down the similar work over and over made the process of reinventing myself easier. I am also realising now that I was able to forget my "identity" because of my Gurus and the loving people around me as I became absorbed with them and their thoughts.
How do you think about making your work different, more artistic?
I never think that my work should be too artistic because I am fully aware that if I think that way, then I will become the person who kills the artform for myself. Any artistic expression when done or performed too deliberately it looses it's essence, apart from that when an art is approached with a complete change in perspective then one realises there is a lot more to find is what I feel. I strongly believe that one day that picture will take birth in my hands and I believe that I will have the strength to put in any amount of time, any effort required for it. Whenever I tried to do artistic work in the past, I was afraid of doing the same thing, in the same way. And I used to fear that the artist in me was finished, so without thinking about the work, the only thing left to do was to work further according to how the surrounding colours, shapes, and how the space communicates with us at that moment. If you start to create something with an end goal in mind then the soul of the painting is destroyed. I now realise that there is nothing more pleasant than taking a step forward and holding the finger of the painting and going on a journey with the painting to see how it will be born is the most content process of all.
You are always worshipping art, but only sometimes you find a moment of breakthrough. Even in that moment you try to take the art on a different path, how do you accept this change?
Everyone can do it. Our mind is a great enemy because, every time you try to do something outside of your comfort/ usual zone, it won't let you do it, but we all inherently possess the energy to shift it. When we reach the extremes of our discomfort, we all are shown many new paths to follow. If you choose one of the paths, you can find the roots of the art, but at that time, you should have faith in your own technique, Riyaz, and believe that you will get something that shocks you. If you pay attention to this one thing, be sure that something new will happen. The moment it comes out we realise that we had been fighting from deep inside for that one moment. We then wonder how we could do such a thing? When we look for the reason for this moment, we realise that our art is the one that is forcing our hand to make such a thing happen. I think it is an experience of worshipping art that brings us to such a high and different height only to bring it down again!
