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Nonika Singh
During her first trip to India, she was awestruck by the Indian eyes and the centuries-old history of the country, which she could see in them. Next time over, she was bowled over by Khajuraho temples and its architecture. As South-Korean artist MinJoo Lee comes to India (Chandigarh to be precise) for the fourth time to participate in a workshop organised by Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademy, she has read enough on Le Corbusier to correlate her works with him.
Unlike some of her compatriots back home, who have traded artistic freedom for money, who employ their proximity with powers to be to earn megabucks overnight, Lee believes art is all about self-discovery. Not surprising, most of her works reflect on her inner being. As she puts it, “Often, my creativity is the essence of my reality. Then I come out of my body to reach out for issues like say the Iraq invasion.”
Like her exhibition, War Peace, spoke out against the ceaseless war and was shown at the UN. Reflecting on the outer world or the inner, reflection in water is a recurring image in her creations, which often juxtapose man, animals and God.
In Oriental philosophy, 12 is a significant number as are 12 animals. Earlier, all 12 would inhabit her canvasses simultaneously, but now it’s the horse’s energy and spirituality that she tries to capture. If horse according to her is a spiritual being, so she thinks are Indians. South-Koreans, with history dating back to 5,000 years ought to be so as well, but she rues, “More and more artists now have little respect for their tradition.” She is equally dismayed by the fact that when they live in foreign lands, they copy their art. In contrast, she asserts that Indian artists might be dabbling in contemporary mediums but never forget their cultural roots. “Take Anish Kapoor for instance. Very contemporary modernistic style, but at the heart of it lies the Indian core.”
At the centre of her works are a mesh of lines or what she calls resonant lines drawn from her abiding interest and remarkable aptitude in calligraphy. Often with a long brush dipped in Indian ink she paints at one go, not lifting the hand even once.
In the process, she creates images that are visually compelling and redolent with many meanings. God, animal or human being…any which can be dominant in her paintings. The human figure could be male or female. A self-styled feminist who didn’t care about men not too long ago, an artist residency in Michigan brought her face to face with her past, death of her father and the liberal values he stood for. Alongside came the realisation, “Whoever I am its half my father and half my mother.” Thus animus became an integral part of her creativity. Another important lesson she learnt in the USA, where she had gone to study how do they teach painting, was how not to push but motivate artists.
Barack Obama might be a fan of Tiger moms, she believes, “Only self-motivation works wonders.” Cultural exchange too can be wonderful, especially between Indians and South-Koreans who have much in common, including fight for independence. But she is a greater votary of workshops where, “There is dissemination of creative impulses. If you just exhibit and leave, it can have little meaning.” Art for her is seeking and striking resonance. How the artist within her finds an echo in her works, watch her and 16 other artists at work in a unique initiative undertaken by the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademy at Sector 17 today. That the date happens to be 17th of January is not a coincidence, but a well thought out strategy to synergize minds and numbers.
nonikasingh@tribunemail.com
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