‘Love In The Air'


Written by Huma Iqbal • Features • April 2010

Nepali artist Ragini Upadhyay Grela talks to SouthAsia about her life and work. How often have we realized the power of the air? Sounds strange. Well, Ragini has made us do that. The recently held exhibition of the Nepali artist Ragini Upadhyay Grela at Gallery 919, Karachi, left visitors somewhat surprised. People were familiar with her name but her work was new to most. It was unlike anything they had experienced before.

The way Ragini linked the classical emotion of love with the most urbane technology of wireless communication was truly amazing in the exhibition titled ‘Love in the Air. 'Her symbolic imagery encompassed a world of fantasy, hope and enlightenment portraying the feeling of love high above the ground, way up in the clouds.
Ragini skillfully linked her imagery of women, portrayed as deities like Laxmi and Saraswati, and the Buddhist goddess Nairatma, with modern technology like TV, computer screens and mobile phones.

Ragini Upadhyay Grela is very much a part of mainstream Nepali art. She has had considerable international exposure and a record of 56 solo exhibitions across 26 countries. Outside Nepal and India, her works have been seen in Belgium, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Japan and, most recently, in Pakistan.

In an interesting sitting with SouthAsia, Ragini unveiled her aspirations, views and commitment and spoke about the diverse society she comes from.

When did you start your career?
I was good in painting since childhood. If there was anything in academics that I was good at, it was arts. My parents realized my potential but they didn't encourage me in my junior years. It was only in Allahabad's boarding school that my teachers saw an artist in me. Since then, though my parents couldn't suppress their disappointment on my weak academics, they never stopped me from weaving my dreams with the brush.

Later, I won scholarships and went abroad to study to the United Kingdom and Germany. The exposure that these two places gave me helped me become the person I am today. The international arts institutes where I studied nurtured the hidden talent in me and gave an international dimension to my work. There was no turning back then.

Initially I started as a painter but later gained more interest in print making and the work of British and Dutch artists became my inspiration. I had the privilege of working with senior print makers in England and Scotland. It was from there that I developed a special interest in print making.

What is Print making?
It is the process of printing, normally on paper. It involves creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being the reproduction of a painting. I usually use etching, lithography, wood cut, etc. to make prints of my original paintings. I do some additional work on the prints and most often use real gold on a few duplicated copies. Mixed media is another form that I use on the prints with the help of crayons and water paints. This gives a fresh look to my work.

What inspires you as an artist?
I am sensitive to my surroundings. The society we live in, affects us and is reflected through our work. Fortunately, I have had wide exposure to different societies as I have lived in Nepal and India for the most part of my life. My work reflects the good and bad around me. The shortcomings of these societies have most often inspired my work, but now as the world has become a global village, there is much to be motivated from.

Some years back, I held an exhibition on the ‘Power of Time' in Nepal. The basic theme revolved around the importance of time. I addressed the affluent landlords in the country and stressed that time waits for none, and that one has to change with time. This I particularly did to become the voice of the suppressed classes in Nepal who suffer at the hands of these powerful people.

Is there any particular ideology behind your work?
I like working with symbols to get my message across. I use animal faces, women and different symbols of religious mythologies to portray reality. I have held very successful exhibitions worldwide where I have symbolized women of South Asia as goddesses, be it Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, or Saraswati, the goddess of music and arts. I question through my paintings that even though women are portrayed in the famous Hindu and Buddhist mythologies as goddesses of love and wealth, in reality they are deprived of these very basic rights. This is my way to voice concerns in a patriarchal Nepalese society where although a woman is a goddess, she is not given the right to live like a human - with all her social, economic and political rights intact.

What was your idea behind ‘Love in the air'?
The series revolves around the power of communications in the 21st century. In today's time, where the world has become a global village, everything is connected with a wire and even without it! It is therefore the power of air that we are relying on to connect with other people. We tend to overlook this unseen power, therefore my basic idea was to reinforce the power of this wireless, often termed as mindless, communication. I chose the powerful emotion of love and portrayed it through the mobile phone and the vast world of the Internet.

I think if telecommunications is powerful enough to have made our world smaller and inter-connected, why can't it bring people closer? I find the entire idea of connecting with people with a single click or a single button push very fascinating.

Does your work represent the Nepalese woman?
I have always tried to depict the poor status of women in our society through my paintings. What an irony that while we set about worshipping a Kumari girl, we neglect her rights to living a normal life. Many times I have questioned these norms and practices in my society and have faced criticism.

As president of the Women Group of Artists in Nepal, I have highlighted the injustice through my work. I support the economic well-being of women and encourage them to work in high profile positions.

Things are changing for Nepali women today and they are being empowered through education, the right to vote and, most importantly, to have their say in society. Communication has played an important role; it has provided the opportunity to women all over the country to connect and learn from the surroundings. And I am happy to have provided my share in making them realize the importance of freedom.

You are a visiting lecturer at Karachi's renowned art schools. How has the experience been?
The experience of teaching at these art schools is something I always look forward to every time I visit Pakistan. The youth of Pakistan is brimming with new ideas and I am hopeful these new minds will help move the country towards progress and development.

How important do you think cultural exchanges such as this are in the present times?
South Asians have many things in common. We need to live in peace and harmony and culture is one vehicle that can bring us closer. Cultural exchanges broaden one's vision and promote mutual harmony and the need to co-exist.