Potpourri of traditional & contemporary

Monica Arora

Overlooking the edge of the Aravalli Hills in Jaipur stands the Nahargarh Fort, whose centre of attraction is the Madhavendra Bhawan. It is here that a sculpture park featuring creations by 15 Indian and nine international artists has recently come up.  These art forms are refreshing for the onlookers, not just in terms of their appearance, but also owing to the natural, intrinsic beauty of the majestic palace that houses them.

The sculpture park has been created by Saath Saath Arts Foundation, founded by Aparajita Jain of the New Delhi-based Nature Morte Gallery, in tandem with the Archaeological Department of Rajasthan. It has been curated by Peter Nagy, director of Nature Morte Art Ltd.

Occupying pride of place at the entrance of Madhavendra Palace is Subodh Gupta’s Doot, literally meaning an ambassador. The installation comprises an aluminum Ambassador car, weighing far more than the actual vehicle, which was symbolic of power and prestige in the good old days of yore. Until recently, the Ambassador car had been the choice of vehicle for bureaucrats, politicians and other government officials, thereby lending the brand a quintessential association with those “who mattered in the country’s higher echelons of power”. The artist’s penchant for representing and recreating common objects from his growing up years is reflected in this marvellous installation. His other installation entitled Stove is his ode to articles and things so intrinsically linked to the Indian culture and to the dying art of traditional cooking in contemporary urban homes. 

Stephen Cox, the British sculptor known for his monolithic public artworks in stone, has created Rishi I in basalt in oil. What is unique about this figure carved onto the stone itself is that the basalt has been acquired from a region where some of the oldest existing stones can be found on the planet. Carefully observed, it reveals the marks and cuts of incisions of tools of the quarry men who must have hauled it from its original spot. As a stoic rishi or saint in meditation, akin to the sages or seers who would stay in their meditative stance for thousands of years, Stephen Cox’s sculpture gives an appearance of timelessness and appears to be linking the past with the present.

The inimitable Bharti Kher’s Choleric, phlegmatic, melancholy, sanguine 2009-17 cast in bronze, is a large, robust figure representing women in various shades of glory — be it a goddess, warrior, angel or witch with long, flexible arms and legs. Representing a fantastical being, much akin to the unpredictable facets of a woman, this is, perhaps, the largest installation of the park and evokes myriad reactions of joy and astonishment from the onlookers.

Annexation by Jitesh Kallat is another awe-inspiring, mammoth creation covered with creatures inspired by those found in the main porch of Mumbai’s Victoria Terminus building, known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at present. According to the artist, the architectural friezes mirror the chaos and pandemonium of the Maximum City’s busy and fast-paced life, situated at the very hub of commuters’ centre. Tolerance and Intolerance are two stone sculptures facing each other, both works by LN Tallur. The base is that of a person’s legs meditating in the lotus position whereas one statue balances a set of rock and the other features a broken wheel. The artist is trying to represent the conflict with something or someone, who or which may not agree with each other’s sensibility.

The park also houses Untitled creations by Reena Saini Kallat, Asim Waqif and Manish Nai; the Hundred Petal Lotus by Vikram Goyal; Bird by Mrinalini Mukherjee; Arrested Image of a Dream by Thukral & Tagra; Buddhas by Arlene Shechet; and Always anyone, anywhere, anything, anytime and for any reason by Matthew Day Jackson and many more. Just like the quintessential oasis in the desert, the Sculpture Park is a treat for sore eyes in the architecturally and culturally alive city of Jaipur. 

The park with its extremely thought-provoking art works blend the traditional and the contemporary. It offers much not just in terms of visual delights but also mental stimulation.