Stimulating Conscious Awareness - Aditi Singh at Chemould Gallery (2021)

‘Somethings Are Always Burning’ is a body of work by Indian artist Aditi Singh, exhibited at  Chemould gallery in Mumbai for both in person and online viewing. A common theme of  seeking solitude and commune with nature ties all abstract pieces together. In this solo show,  Singh focuses on the observation of nature and the intentional stillness that comes with being  in tune with its rhythm. In this essay, I intend to investigate how Singh transforms the typical  atmosphere of a gallery setting into one resembling the outdoors and how she stimulates  Biophilia, the innate desire in humans to commune with nature (Wilson, 1984), to further the  effect of work. To do this, I will analyze the relationship between the practices of walking  and painting, and how both these play out in Singh’s work. A closer look into how the artist’s  affinity towards infinite spaces plays out in the gallery through text would show the role  language plays in creating this said atmosphere. The three chosen works, ‘Untitled, 2020’,  ‘Untitled, 2017 (Horizon line, San Francisco)’ and ‘Untitled, 2020’ will be used to explore  how Singh uses elemental imagery of earth, water and fire in her work to create a sense of  tranquility and stimulate mindful observation. The hypothesis of Biophilia will be made use  of to analyze, interpret and offer a personal understanding of Singh’s work. 

It is no secret that one of Singh’s favorite past times is going on walks, her artist statement is  a dead giveaway of that. In this statement, she brings up the Japanese term ‘yutori’, which  means spaciousness. According to the Japanese language dictionary Kojien (Shinmura,  1998), the definition of yutori is “a state with sufficiency and ease.” In the context of walking, Singh describes it as “taking time to look around, watching your step, being  attentive to breath and landscape - to be stillfully aware” (Aditi Singh, 2021). It’s this  attention to the space that holds you that makes walking such a meditative practice. Similarly  painting as a practice, though physical, can also be meditative. When talking of the practice the artist says, “Often working on a painting allows me to be held in this spaciousness, you  don't have to explain it, paraphrase it, or describe it” (Aditi Singh, 2021). This shows how  painting allows the artist to be wholly present in the time and space she is in. Walking serves  the purpose of moving from one point to the other, whereas painting doesn’t physically move  the body “it is [..] a way of moving through the world”. According to Singh, “When you're in  a place of quiet, when you're remembering, when you're carving out an image, you're  allowing your mind calmly to leap from one thought to another” (Aditi Singh, 2021). In these  ways, parallels can be drawn between the practices of walking and painting, both having  considerable influence on the artist and her art practice. I personally love going on walks, and  credit a huge amount of my own creativity to my walks. It acts as a form of catharsis for me,  and I can redirect this emotional release onto paper once it is brought to the surface, which is  done by physical exercise such as walking. The combination of walking and painting is what  drew me to Aditi Singh and piqued my interest enough to write this essay on her and her art.  Almost everyone has taken a walk in nature. By bringing in this universal act into the gallery  setting, Singh urges the viewer to relive the sensations they felt when out in the open air, and  hence re-creates a memory pre-existent in the viewer.  

It is important to note that alongside the practice of walking, it is also where the artist walks  that inspires her work. As she aptly puts it, “One’s imagination has shaped and been shaped  by spaces it passes through on two feet”(Somethings Are Always Burning, 2021). Singh’s  love of nature and infinite spaces comes through vividly in her work that almost always resembles landscapes and organic shapes found in nature. This affinity toward natural forces  crosses the boundary between art and language, as the gallery walls hold journal entries and  poetic lines from the artist rejoicing and remembering the intricacies of the environment that surrounds her. One line in particular stood out to me, “Recognition of the resilience of beauty, Observation of its abundance, Desire for its precision, Continuing praise of it”. The celebratory tone of this line along with the use of assonance in repeating vowel sounds  creates a rhythmic sensation that glorifies the subject (the natural landscape), almost like a hymn to it. Keywords seen on the gallery walls include a wide range of natural phenomena  from describing elements such as ‘blue air’, ‘fire of rock’, ‘wind and rain’ to describing the movement of these elements and how they interact with her, such as ‘rumbling, grinding  mass of rock over me’ and ‘the living mountain’. These lines certainly heighten the senses of  the viewer as they not only have Singh’s incredibly visceral paintings but also her own account of experiences in nature. These help create a deeper connection to the artwork as  there is an additional layer of information in a different form; language. These words together create a lexical field of the natural environment that corresponds with the art to create a  powerful sensation of being in the present in nature. Together, language and art grab the  viewer's attention and transport them out of the gallery walls and into a scenario out of  Singh’s journal entry, to one of her own experiences, and one that is so universal. The typical  artificial atmosphere of the gallery setting is transformed into one of the great outdoors. 

An important ingredient in these pieces that reminds the viewer of natural landscapes is the use of elemental imagery. Starting with fire, ‘Untitled, 2017 (Horizon line, San Francisco)’ resembles the orange-red skies of the wildfire stricken California. The monochromatic color  scheme with excessive use of red hues is an easy identifier coupled with color symbolism to  connote fire. The informal shape that is created by the black vignette is of a triangle, similar to the shape a flame takes. Alternating hues and intensities of red resemble the dancing colors  of a fire, some neon and vibrant while some dull and muted. ‘Untitled, 2020 [Blue]’ mimics the  ocean and the element of water. The fading of white to blue from right to left echoes the  white foam on the beach as it ebbs away from land and gradually turns into a dark blue-green colour or. The silhouette of the painting mirrors water splashed or spilled on paper. Similar to the  element of fire, use of alternating hues and intensities of blue and green coupled with organic  lines resemble waves. The rough and uneven texture created in ‘Untitled, 2020 [Red]’ bears  semblance to rock formation, while viewing it I almost wanted to reach out and feel the  coarse surface beneath my fingers. This, along with the earthy color scheme reminds me of  sedimentary rocks that have a similar reddish color. The composition of the painting looks  like a bird’s eye view of an arid landscape or a zoomed in view of a rock. Use of irregular  lines and organic shapes definitely imitates the formal qualities of the earth, especially land in  dry or desert like areas. The use of formal elements to resemble natural phenomena evokes a  feeling of being in the presence of phenomena recreated.  

Biophilia, hypothesized and popularized by Edward O. Wilson in his book ‘Biophilia’, is the  innate desire to commune with nature. The term is described as ‘the passionate love of life  and of all that is alive’ (Fromm, 1973) and proposes that humans have a tendency to focus on  and affiliate with nature and other life forms (Wilson, 1984). This hypothesis helps tie in the entire exhibition, and why Singh’s work has such a meditative effect on the viewers. Nature  s clearly a point of inspiration for the artist, so much so that she describes it as ‘at a certain moment a form chooses you and won’t leave you in peace’ (Nair, 2021). Her journal filled with entries describing the surrounding landscape in poetic terms shows the intrinsic love she  has for the natural world. This shines through in her work, connecting with the inherent peace the viewers, as humans, feel in nature. Biophilia is the thread that connects all the pieces 

together, from the artist to the viewer, encompassing everything in between. From walking in nature to describing it on the gallery walls and even using elements from it in her art,  Biophilia plays out in every aspect of Singh’s work. This strikes a deep cord with the viewer,  who according to the theory, has an innate love for all living things. The result of this is what I felt staring at the framed canvas; a deep sense of tranquillity. An unexplainable love for nature that left me speechless, and an appreciation for it that I couldn’t put into words but one  that I could feel throughout the exhibition.  

To conclude, Singh has successfully created a strong sense of awareness within her audience,  the kind of conscious awareness that comes with being out in nature. This is done by  stimulating a feeling innate in all humans. Her love for nature shines bright in this exhibition and is felt by the viewers, furthering the effect her art has on them. The artwork evokes a feeling of surety, as this earth is all we have ever known, and the one thing we can be sure of.  It is what we touch, feel, see and smell. Writing this essay probed an interesting question, whether I  would describe Singh’s work as an imitation of nature or something as genuine as nature  itself.  

Works cited: 

“Aditi Singh - Overview.” Chemould Prescott Road, www.gallerychemould.com/artists/37- aditi-singh/overview/.  

“Somethings Are Always Burning: 14 January - 31 March 2021.” Chemould Prescott Road,  www.gallerychemould.com/viewing-room/12-somethings-are-always-burning-aditi singh/.  

“Aditi Singh: Artist Profile, Exhibitions & Artworks.” Ocula the Best in Contemporary Art  Icon., ocula.com/artists/aditi-singh/.  

“Aditi Singh: Artist Profile, Exhibitions & Artworks.” Ocula the Best in Contemporary Art  Icon., ocula.com/artists/aditi-singh/.  

Nair, Uma. “India Art Fair 2019: Aditi Singh's Work Delves into the Anatomy of a Bloom.”  Architectural Digest India, Architectural Digest India, 29 Jan. 2021,  

www.architecturaldigest.in/content/india-art-fair-2019-aditi-singh-chemould-prescott thomas-erben-gallery/.  

Pandey, Tejal. “Nurturing Budding Art Enthusiasts.” The Hindu, The Hindu, 17 July 2018, 

www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/nurturing-the-new/article24413304.ece.  

“Some Things Are Always Burning: 14 January - 15 February 2021.” Chemould Prescott  Road, www.gallerychemould.com/exhibitions/93/works/.  

“Biophilia.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam 

webster.com/dictionary/biophilia.  

Fromm, Erich. The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness . 1973.  

Wilson, Edward O. Biophilia. Harvard University Press, 1984. 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1468- 

5884.00180#:~:text=Accord%2D%20ing%20to%20the%20Japanese,such%20as%20finance %20and%20time.