“I am very nostalgic,” Chavan says. “I
love the simplicity of old school living, old
school life — I’m holding on to this in the
face of the speed of modern Mumbai.”
– Little Shilpa
Rajesh Punj : Where does one begin when describing the ubiquitous work
of artist, milliner, and designer Shilpa Chavan; free-spirited,
inventive, robust, ambitious and unafraid of circumstance
and ceremony, Chavan buzzes with ideas, runs through lists
of influences that make little or no sense, and intentionally
rattles our sensibilities, as she deliberately up-turns our view
of everything in order we have multiple disciplines and styles
fused together before us, as an utterly post-modern experience.
Influenced as much by the tribal and tradition as she is by
modernity and the mega city, Chavan pours over her district
and city with a forensic tooth-comb, for colours, styles, objects,
prints, paper, and fabrics, new and dilapidated, in order to find
a new formula; an elemental sprit that defines and re-defines
her work. Little Shilpa is positively animated by the potential
creativity of juxtaposing multiple military lapels with florescent
bangles; pinning vintage war medals with garish threads of fabric
that appears as a traditional head-dress.
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Stealing Beauty
Along with the other parts of India like West Bengal,
Bihar, Pata Chitras were also a mean to communicate with
the audience in Barak Valley too. It was very fascinating to
see that an indigenous flavour of the region was traced in
the pata chitras of Barak valley. Unfortunately, this art form
is almost dead. Only a few potuas still survive. The subject
matters of pata chitras are mainly of two types: religious
and secular. The unique style which is noted is the size of
the pata chitra which is about seven to eight feet in length
that differs from the traditional pata chitras of other states.
The evolution and communication of such visual languages
is possible because the artists and the audience share the
cultural background and the same degree of familiarity
with the themes, symbols, myths and perhaps also ethics.
The circular disc made with clay and then painted with
figures or motifs is popularly known as Sara. The purpose
of using these saras were purely religious. The most
popular paintings done on them are Goddesses Lakshmi,
Durga and Radha Krishna, and were used during Durga
puja, Lakshmi Puja and Janmasthami. But unfortunately
this form of art has become rare due to the socio-economic
pattern. Fascinatingly the saras are painted by the male
members of the community assisted by the women folks.
One important character is that the paintings were similar
to the style of the pata chitras. Line played a very important
role in this form of painting.
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Art&Deal: When one looks over your work there appears to be
an incredible verve and uncompromising vigour to your practice
that elevates it; releasing it almost from its original cultural heritage.
How have you gone about conceiving and creating works as objects
and ideas? How significant is your cultural identity to your practice?
Has India’s liberalism and industrious economy allowed you to look
well beyond the Indian sub-continent to Asia and across the water to
America and Britain for your influences?
Little Shilpa: I am very influenced by my surroundings, and I
am nostalgic about my local up-bringing, the beauty attached to
the simplicity of it. This overnight modernisation makes me want
to hold onto my visual imagery from the streets. There is always a
weird juxtaposition of the old and the modern as you look through
the city; and my work shows it as well. I endeavour to create this rich
co-existence by combining the past with the present, decadence with
clean and simple design.
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A&D: Who are your influences currently and historically? How are you
received as a designer in the Indian sub-continent now?
LS: Where do I begin, Amadeus, the film, fuels gnawing desire to keep
creating; late British designer Isabella Blow, she defined the pieces she
wore and not the other way around, and she carried style and design and
introduced impracticality and cleverly quirked them all together. British hat
designer Philip Treacy, for being so unbelievably creative and then so humble
whilst doing it. Another designer Hussein Chalayan, I consider it amazing
how he manages to tap into technology and attach art to fashion, in the
present; draw on the past and look to the future, and lorded British designer
Alexander McQueen, the impeccable presentation of his collections, the
emotion you feel when you watch his shows; astonishing. As a designer
here in India, I guess there is always a curiosity linked with my shows, and
a whole set of influences.
A&D: Fashion and Design have a real international make-up about them
that have projected your works out onto a global fashion scene; has that
allowed for major collaborations? Which of those collective workings have
proved most significant?
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A&D: In terms of art and literature, whom do you consider significant for you? Do
you draw greater motivation from American culture? Is your thrilling originality between
these two positions?
LS: I think I draw more from an English and Indian culture, not so much as American.
A&D: Is the sexuality of your work significant to you? Is clothing a skin that you feel
that you can add and subtract very easily?
LS: I work in a zone, with passion, and I get deeply involved; also most of my pieces are
shot on women, hence you always get this sense of a deep involvement between the pieces
and the people that shoot with them, it’s subconscious.
