Pop talk

Updated on: Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Life is all about the bowing down to the present moment. Flashes of instants are what make life special. In other words, for artist Trishla Jain, living the moment is what matters.

Jain has been painting since she was seven and the artist in her soaked in more colours when she went to Stanford University in the US to study literature and poetry.

She recalls, At that time, I didnt realise the kind of impact that my academic experience would have on my art. She found it intriguing when she discovered how her learning within the classroom was spilling over to the artists palette and how the nuances of the words added a different dimension to her paintings.

Jains pop-up exhibition titled Tangerine Trees Marmalade Skies is being held in the Capital. Students from Jamia Millia Islamia and Shilpa Bharti Institute of Fine Arts and Crafts were at the exhibition on Saturday interacting with the artist. Jain helped them to understand that besides the apparent melancholy that dominates the world, there is another side to it, which artists should capture to add a ray of cheer.

Several of Jains works are reflective of a typographical realm, which seem to intrigue youngsters. When some of the students pointed at one of the canvases, she said that just like snatches of ones life-experiences, certain words stayed on with her throughout her growing up years, and this is how she decided to put it together in some of her works. It is, she explains, like a collage comprising bits and pieces of a telephone conversation, memory of a poster line or just a teachers words of wisdom.

Zoya Khan, a fourth year student of fine arts from Jamia Millia Islamia, said that the exhibition was a learning experience for her. I learnt there is no limitation to art and that one can draw whatever one wants to. It depends on what you want to convey.

Another student found the exhibition interesting because the art form was a blend of text and colours. In fact, the world of words has been a constant source of inspiration for Jain. She emphasises, literature, poetry, tweets, facebook comments anything that is written should be captured in an artistic way rather than in black and white.

As to another of the exhibits (a range of objects were arranged in a special manner in a cupboard) Jain explained to students, it was a personal way of looking at her life the years that have gone by, but has made her the person she is today.

What is pop art?

While her area of specialisation is pop art, Jain says that she would rather choose to call it the art of happiness or the art of assemblage or found art. What drew Jain into the world of pop art?

Thats a long story, she says, adding that once she completed her studies in Stanford, she went to New York to teach English to class VIII and X students. There, she explored different types of curricula, which, too, influenced her process of art. Later, I started painting again because it just happened and it came naturally, she remembers.

Theres a lot that is happening in this world, which could be classified as negative, destructive or violent. But there is another side to life. That is, in fact, perhaps more important than all things melancholic. So pop art, which generates positivity, enables people to explore what they want to do in life, has considerable importance in contemporary art culture.

As far as students are concerned, Jain feels that being advised is a part of student-life. But it is important to remember that anybody elses advice is not of relevance. It is part of the journey, you must let it go, you should respect and love your critics and your admirers as equals. You should not feel excited by praise and bogged down by criticism because you should stand tall in who you are and believe in yourself.

Grades an A or F should not matter. It should not shake one deep within. Instead, she stresses, one must do exactly what one wants and paint in the style that excites him or her. Then, she adds, what you do will not be derivative of another form of art. It wont be shaped by what your teacher or instructor wants you to do. It will be what want to do.

The exhibition is on view till January 30 (open all days), 10am to 9pm at 4 Tilak Marg.

Times of India

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