Divine Phantoms

‘Divine Phantoms’ Solo show of woodcut prints by Champa Sharath

‘Divine Phantoms’ marks Champa Sharath’s return with a subject that has preoccupied her for more than decade. Having visualised 20 verses from the sacred compilation Hanuman Chalisa earlier, she applies a renewed understanding and expanded visual language to the remaining 20 dohas in the current series. Champa’s approach has been one of research and personal interpretation of the philosophical texts that extol Hanuman’s heroism and goodness, through encounters with his substantial role in the narrative epic Ramayana. With a sensitive paradigm shift from the past, she embraces an eclectic language in her representations this time round – getting under the skin of the popular mythological figure and challenging the verses to contemplate contemporary experience. Reflecting the artist’s long-term engagement with the woodcut medium, the series of work is significant for its fluid linear quality that defies its creation through a reverse-relief process. Formally, she has exploited the content’s potential for visual representation by experimenting diversely with scale, composition, colour and pattern. Champa portrays Hanuman through a multi-layered lens – investigating his persona physically, metaphorically, and at times through partial abstraction. In the Indian context, the parallel realities of tradition and modernity coexist – this simultaneity and (occasional) absurdity interests her; she questions the relevance of faith in the today’s world, using artistic freedom to redefine stereotypical depictions and retelling mythology with a degree of playfulness.

Champa has been able to refine her practice steadily to produce a seemingly effortless printmaking process – however, with the Hanuman Chalisa, it has been a challenging journey, often one of questioning personal and collective perceptions and aligning it with aesthetics. ‘Divine Phantoms’ establishes narratives that identify with her past, where she recalls listening to the words of the Chalisa often, and her present, in which she is evaluating the spiritual subject as an artist.

The Hanuman Chalisa is a piece of sacred literature composed by the great poet and philosopher Tulsidas (1511-1623).

Lina Vincent, art historian-curator, 2018