She paints from the heart. One of her works is even titled thus. It is where it all starts. Much like life, is it not? The heart pumps blood to the rest of the body. With the body though, the heart knows where it all ends. But with Gurm, as she introduces herself, she sometimes does not know where a work will end up. The framework of the canvas might be there, but the movement of the paint or ink is often unknown to her. That is how she creates. The heart. Her heart.
I had the pleasure of visiting Gurmehar Singh's exhibition, aptly entitled 'Colors', in Wuqing recently. It is funny how in life you meet to meet many people and you know you will never want to meet them again. Then, there is a smaller group whom you wish you will see again, and again. She is one of the latter.
While colour is the quintessential motif that recurs in most of her work, I find the work she did in India during lockdown to be her finest exponent of that motif. There seems to be an even richer use of colour, and that is from someone for whom colour is as vital to her as salt is to a meal.
Lockdown has become, for me, a metaphor of possibilities - I am reminded of an old cliché I came across in high school: Two men look through bars. One sees mud, the other sees stars. Its meaning in relation to the Covid lockdown period is obvious but it bears expanding. You could have viewed it as a dreadful time of having to give up certain things you had become accustomed to doing, or you could have seen it as an opportunity. What that opportunity was, was up to you. Note that while I use past tense, there are still people around the world in lockdown. Be that as it may, I see this time as one that inspired Gurm to challenge herself as an artist to find new ways to show colours.
Gurm's ancestral home in India
After speaking to her, I also know that it was an emotionally challenging time for her as she created her lockdown pieces in her 100 year old ancestral home; a home where her grandfather moved on from in 2015. With the echo of his voice and footsteps still there, she created. With memories filling every room, she created. In the midst of a pandemic, the likes of which many of us have not known, she created. The end result is an affirmation of life in the shadows of doubt; a celebration of past and all its beauty, for in these pieces you will find nothing sinister lurking. It is, ironically, looking ahead. Hope.
I see her work as truly wonderful considering everything because lockdown and the memory of the death of a loved one are two things that could either pull down the soul, or cause it to rise, much like Shakespeare's 'lark at break day of day arising / sings hymns at heaven's gate'. Hope.
Thematically connected, but not part of her lockdown series, is Life. It is undoubtedly a piece that speaks volumes to me. While Gurm is not about obvious structure, it is evident more so in this work. On a side note, there is a structure to her lack of structure, if you will. The abundance of shapes and patterns, emanating from everywhere but seemingly nowhere, are striking. There are places where the patterns are freer than other places where there is in turn a tighter structure. Then, of course, the colours. It is one piece where black almost dominates but not quite. Colours still overwhelm, and there is one colour that stands out. It is constant amidst the metaphorical highs and lows that they represent. That is yellow, the base of this piece. No matter what the circumstances in. life, there is one thing we cannot do without, and that Hope. Hope, again. I could not help but think of Emily Dickinson's Hope is the thing with feathers. Allow me to quote it here in its entirety because Gurm's Life is a visual connection to the poem for me.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
It is hard not to miss Bond as I walk around the exhibition. This is because there are not many human 'subjects', and I use that term knowing there is probably a better artistic word, but do give me licence! Gurm clearly pours her heart and soul into her work, but Bond is allows me to feel her more tender side because of the human element. It is real, not abstract; two people hugging, holding each other - whatever you want to call it. Two people, and they could be sisters, friends, lovers ... standing in a field of hearts with different colours conveying the colourful nature of love, but I find it interesting that the colours are muted. Maybe they are not lovers? Maybe it is filial? I love it. I know it is life giving. Water. A tree. Birds. Is the sun rising on their relationship? I would say yes. The intimate, close way they are holding each other... dare I say, Hope? I could go on - I find this work very moving, especially in the context of the body of work on display today.
As I walk around with Gurm, I am drawn to her talk about how she creates. I feel that every piece is a real journey, not just a gallery exhibition filler. We walk to what looks like a stark corner of the exhibition room, but it turns out to be a philosophical and artistic highlight on my visit. I am arrested by the sight of these small works on display, but then I see it: An easel in the corner with some note about Kintsugi. It takes on beautiful significance when Gurm talks me through how it was born. Having lost some precious works of art through water damage, she was distraught, devastated ... broken. Rather than dwell in that space of misery, she recalled this Japanese philosophy. Simply put, the broken pieces of pottery are treated with lacquer, dusted or treated with powdered gold and thus the item is restored. But rather than trying to cover the breakage, it remains visible and becomes part of the 'new bowl'. However, it is not just the bowl that matters. It is the metaphor or philosophy that is equally poignant: Think about any painful thing in your life and how it has helped you grow. Own it. Don't deny it. Don't escape it. The emotional scars have made you who you are. Despite this, your essence, is still there. It was this in mind, that Gurm managed to piece together a small Kintsugi collection, with gold elements and all. But let me leave her to express her thoughts and emotions, better than I could. I include here, unedited, a poem she wrote. Note the structure of the poem: Irregular lines signifying the break, before it all comes together.
Kintsugi Collection
Looking at my damaged work, feel broken into a million
pieces
Little do I realize that I can fix so the beauty actually
increases
Feeling the pain, treading with caution, inside is a very big
void Lying in bed, tears
flowing, every single thing I want to avoid
There is no problem that doesn’t have a solution, I smile
The road may have hurdles but you keep walking a while
I take a deep breath, take out a drawing, grab a gold pen
The wounds, the cracks, slowly but surely start to mend
Kintsugi- a tradition, such a beautiful rare Japanese Art
Teaches you so much about life, the soul and the heart
So inspiring- repairing by adding a slight touch of Golden
Those imperfections, vulnerabilities become wholesome
Fragility, delicacy, strength, courage, resilience and beauty
Are all a part of life, all these elements combine in unity
My journey ends with a piece that is almost easy to miss because of its location, but luckily I see it. The Temple of Heaven. It is a symbol that conveys an aspect of Gurm's love for and dedication to her art - she used strands of her hair to create this piece. Only when you look closely at the work, can you appreciate the time it must have taken to produce it. The old adage that an artist loses a piece of him or herself in an art work, is clearly illustrated here. There is indeed something romantic about this work or notion with regards to the artist, and it is a privilege to look at work like this, trying to walk around in Gurm's shoes, wondering about the genesis of this idea, the application and just how time consuming it was in the end.
As I made my way to the train station to head back home, my mind was occupied by two things: Colors - The Reflection of Life, the full title. Yes, colours and how they serve as a mirror of our lives. There is nothing outrageously new about the concept, but there is always a chance for an artist to infuse it with something fresh. In the case of Gurm, I was able to experience just how she went about this. In the taxi, I realised how hard it was for me to remove her paintings from her philosophy in this exhibition. But that is a good thing considering the title of her exhibition. Different colours have different connotations for each of us, making it a very personal experience for the viewer of her works. Nonetheless, there were moments during my visit when I got goosebumps listening to her because so much of it resonated with me, so while each colour may mean something unique to each of us, she is able to tap into the universal, which bonds all of us.
In closing, I should add that Gurm's works are emotionally exhausting (a good thing) because of her ability to pull some heart strings through her structure, colours and philosophy, leaving you feel grateful to be alive. Her works, in many ways, allowed me to look inwardly, reminding me of Kate Bush who sang:
We take all the telescopes
And we turn them inside out
And we point them away from the big sky
Put your eye right up to the glass, now
And here we'll find the constellation of the heart
Colors - Reflections of Life. What a moving journey.
Note that the exhibition runs until November 30!My photos here do not do the works any justice. Make sure you visit the exhibition to see them as they are intended
Brandon Stoltenkamp: I am restaurant, champagne and hotel blogger living in Tianjin.
I: bmstoltenkamp
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