DEBI - A Multidimensional Project by Narayan Sinha

Home
Exhibitions
DEBI - A Multidimensional Project by Narayan Sinha

DEBI - A Multidimensional Project by Narayan Sinha

5th October 2013 - 20th November 2013

Art Alive Gallery S-221 Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110017View Works

NARAYAN SINHA’S TRYST WITH DEBI

Skirting Murshidabad, Nalhati is a bustling mofussil town where trucks halt to repair damaged parts or for the truckers to rest before hurtling off to their destinations in the big cities. Tourist buses rumble in too-- spraying dust on the little children playing on the roads, their destination being the Kali temple, in the town, considered to be an important ‘pithasthan’ for the Hindus.

Unlike his parents, regular temple-goers, Narayan Sinha, did not visit the mandir so often. For him, the goddess worshipped by the faithful resided not merely in the hallowed precincts of the temple but also in other places, like the junkyards that spilled over with debris around or then elsewhere, like in the little shops that traded old ‘kansha vessels for new ones. It was especially in neighbourhood’s ‘kansha’ shops that he was destined to discover his own Aladdin’s lamp, an object that he would eventually transform into an integral part of his sculpted Debi the day he started working. From his early, tentative days when he began his artistic practice, Narayan’s sculptural forms made use of the recycled and sustainable in a way that was quirky and imaginative. Narayan’s present show, entitled DEBI is a series where the sculptor presents his recent works in the capital. The images of Debi here are skillfully sculpted and assembled using cycle bells, bent rods, twisted machine parts, jugs, ‘ghotees’, even other unlikely bric a brac that reveal their true avatars on only close inspection! Like,for instance,the necklace that you were admiring from a distance being, actually, a row of ancient locks or watches with their numbered dials still intact! Elsewhere, there is Lakshmi, represented by a little sari-clad girl, dangling her legs atop a treasure chest. Ganesh is a bohurupiya holding aloft a mask of the elephant god and Kartikeya is the photograph of the local vendor boy at the Railway Station, selling ‘muri’! Incomplete straw models of Saraswati seated on her swan line up in a corner while the lion roars, his teeth bared, majestic and grand even while a closer look reveals the rusted metal parts of pipes and handlebars it is created from.

The sculptor/installationist thus recreates a bygone era, with fabrics, photographs, and clippings of celluloid, written script, paintings, sculpture and installations that utilize and recycle the rejected and abandoned. His query: is his Debi too an abandoned creature at the end? To be immersed and forgotten? And in this quest of thought recurs another question; like his Debi are women too deified to be abandoned in her hour of need?

The chandeliers (again created from antique ‘kansha’ jugs and lamps) illumine the magical labyrinth and you can imagine the chanting of a purohit’s voice in the distance, the pealing of bells as mantras ring out. Yet, despite this elaborate enactment that is a visual treat to the senses, for the artist it is no more than a parody of rituals. A pantomime of worship accorded to public and private memory.

Ina Puri

Narayan Chandra Sinha

Untitled
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 80.01 x 17.78 | Inches : 31.5 x 7 | Metal
Untitled
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 134.62 x 27.94 x 60.96 | Inches : 53 x 11 x 24 | Metal
Royal Seagul Tiger
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 228.6 x 68.58 x 35.56 | Inches : 90 x 27 x 14 | Metal
Ritual II
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 254 x 127 | Inches : 100 x 50 | Wood and Cloth
Ritual I
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 241.3 x 116.84 | Inches : 95 x 46 | Brass Plates
Ritual 3
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 243.84 x 121.92 | Inches : 96 x 48 | Fabric on Canvas
Puja
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 243.84 x 121.92 | Inches : 96 x 48 | Canvas Print
Pournam
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 121.92 x 91.44 | Inches : 48 x 36 | Old Letter
Owl
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 35.56 x 20.32 x 7.62 | Inches : 14 x 8 x 3 | Bronze & Brass
Narayan
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 106.68 x 78.74 x 71.12 | Inches : 42 x 31 x 28 | Metal
Metal Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 80.01 x 17.78 | Inches : 31.5 x 7 | Metal
Mangal Ghat
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 101.6 x 78.74 | Inches : 40 x 31 | Metal & Copper
Lotus set
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 66.04 x 66.04 | Inches : 26 x 26 | Metal
Lotus 1 & 2
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 40.64 x 30.48 | Inches : 16 x 12 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 114.3 x 17.78 | Inches : 45 x 7 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 53.34 x 15.24 | Inches : 21 x 6 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 81.28 x 15.24 | Inches : 32 x 6 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 83.82 x 17.78 | Inches : 33 x 7 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 104.14 x 17.78 | Inches : 41 x 7 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 58.42 x 15.24 | Inches : 23 x 6 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 48.26 x 17.78 | Inches : 19 x 7 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 53.34 x 15.24 | Inches : 21 x 6 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 81.28 x 17.78 | Inches : 32 x 7 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 58.42 x 17.78 | Inches : 23 x 7 | Metal
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 73.66 x 45.72 | Inches : 29 x 18 | Metal & Glass
Lamp
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 66.04 x 43.18 | Inches : 26 x 17 | Metal
Lakshmi
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 132.08 x 88.9 | Inches : 52 x 35 | Photographic Canvas Print
Kumartuli Swam 2
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 68.58 x 119.38 x 66.04 | Inches : 27 x 47 x 26 | Fibre Glass and Wood
Kumartuli Swam - 1
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 58.42 x 101.6 x 58.42 | Inches : 23 x 40 x 23 | Fibre Glass and Wood
Kumartuli Saraswati Laxmi
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 182.88 x 93.98 x 40.64 | Inches : 72 x 37 x 16 | Fibre Glass and Wood
Kumartuli Peacock 2
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 88.9 x 63.5 x 30.48 | Inches : 35 x 25 x 12 | Fibre Glass
Kumartuli Peacock 1
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 96.52 x 116.84 x 81.28 | Inches : 38 x 46 x 32 | Fibre Glass and Wood
Kumartuli Lion
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 88.9 x 134.62 x 25.4 | Inches : 35 x 53 x 10 | Fibre Glass
Kumartuli Ganesha
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 132.08 x 71.12 x 53.34 | Inches : 52 x 28 x 21 | Fibre Glass and Wood
Kumartuli Faces
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 279.4 x 198.12 x 30.48 | Inches : 110 x 78 x 12 | Clay, Metal,Iron and Wood
Kartika
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 182.88 x 139.7 x 66.04 | Inches : 72 x 55 x 26 | Fibre Glass
Kartika
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 116.84 x 25.4 x 60.96 | Inches : 46 x 10 x 24 | Fibre Glass
Jhumar
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 144.78 x 91.44 | Inches : 57 x 36 | Metal
Jarokha
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 114.3 x 60.96 | Inches : 45 x 24 | Metal & Glass
Ganesha 2
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 76.2 x 35.56 x 50.8 | Inches : 30 x 14 x 20 | MMetal & Brass
Durga 9
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 29.21 x 15.24 | Inches : 11.5 x 6 | Pen & Ink on Paper
Durga 8
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 104.14 x 93.98 | Inches : 41 x 37 | Pen & Ink on Paper
Durga 6
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 121.92 x 76.2 | Inches : 48 x 30 | Acrylic & Charcoal on Canvas
Durga 5
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 66.04 x 119.38 | Inches : 26 x 47 | Pen on Paper
Durga 4
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 21.59 x 12.7 | Inches : 8.5 x 5 | Canvas Print
Durga 4
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 21.59 x 12.7 | Inches : 8.5 x 5 | Canvas Print
Durga 3
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 21.59 x 12.7 | Inches : 8.5 x 5 | Canvas Print
Durga 14
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 20.32 x 22.86 | Inches : 8 x 9 | Canvas Print
Durga 13
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 30.48 x 30.48 | Inches : 12 x 12 | Canvas Print
Durga 12
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 355.6 x 165.1 | Inches : 140 x 65 | Acrylic & Charcoal on Canvas
Durga 11
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 269.24 x 86.36 | Inches : 106 x 34 | Acrylic & Charcoal on Canvas
Durga 10
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 22.86 x 22.86 | Inches : 9 x 9 | Acrylic & Charcoal on Canvas
Durga 1
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 25.4 x 25.4 | Inches : 10 x 10 | Canvas Print
Durga
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Painting | Cms : 52.07 x 71.12 | Inches : 20.5 x 28 | Watercolour on Paper
Debi V
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 100.33 x 50.8 x 38.1 | Inches : 39.5 x 20 x 15 | Bronze & Brass
Debi IV
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 228.6 x 55.88 x 45.72 | Inches : 90 x 22 x 18 | Metal
Debi III
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 223.52 x 137.16 x 91.44 | Inches : 88 x 54 x 36 | Metal,Bronze,Casting,Brass,Copper & Wood
Debi II
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 251.46 x 213.36 x 121.92 | Inches : 99 x 84 x 48 | Metal,Bronze,Casting,Brass,Copper & Wood
Debi I
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 223.52 x 200.66 x 81.28 | Inches : 88 x 79 x 32 | Metal,Bronze,Casting,Brass,Copper & Wood
Debi 5
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 213.36 x 114.3 x 99.06 | Inches : 84 x 45 x 39 | Metal,Bronze,Casting,Brass,Copper & Wood
Chai Wala
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 139.7 x 53.34 x 20.32 | Inches : 55 x 21 x 8 | Metal
Boy Ganesha
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Sculpture | Cms : 170.18 x 106.68 x 96.52 | Inches : 67 x 42 x 38 | Metal & Wood
Bahan
Narayan Chandra Sinha

Cms : 43.18 x 27.94 | Inches : 17 x 11 | Photographs