CAUTION! Work in Progress!
With ‘Pause’, a virtual series of shows, Method showcases unfinished projects by artists around the world
Vani Sriranganayaki
Pause.
Psychologically, it is credited to be the most cutting-edge strategy when it comes to working through information overload, out of control scenarios; or simply, coping with change. In the larger scheme of things, one small pause, one break, or interval might not amount to much. But in that moment, under overwhelming circumstances, when make or break is no longer a choice, but a condition, a single breath could make all the difference. So, naturally it piqued our interest, when Mumbai’s Method Art Space, at this very particular moment, as the world seemingly stands still, forced into this rather inconvenient pause, decided to unveil a series of exhibits of unfinished works through a virtual presentation titled, well, Pause.
Featuring works of young artists, all working through a variety of mediums to an expression that both contemplates our times and traverses beyond it, Pause presents narratives that are deliberately left open-ended. Randolph Correia, a Pentagram band member and graphic artist, had to forsake printing his digitally manipulated collages when he ran out of canvases and his printer broke down. Parizad D, a freelance photographer, is caught in a melancholic flux where she struggles to hold on to the stillness of a moment and let it go at the same time. Maya Varadaraj, an interdisciplinary artist, takes on the certainty of death and taxes, and askes, ‘if this then what?’. Storyteller and illustrator Ashwin Chacko ‘Unveiled’ the ever-evolving human condition and its never-ending quest for balance. Artist Linesh Desai’s detailed photographs from May 2018 reveal as much as they hide, telling a story that leaves much room for interpretation. Educator and photographer Aaran Patel explores the evolving impacts on history, legacy and identities through the architecture and culture of a specific time and place; artist Zahra Baldiwala takes on excess and the bottomless pit that is consumerism; whereas textile practitioner Sayan Chanda examines ‘the relationship between intention and chance’ and presents a more unifying way out of these troubled and confusing times we are in right now: craft. And finally, artist Surabhi Chowdhary contemplates the very artistic process where an idea, when given a sense of physicality, acquires an identity of its own; and how revisiting said idea, might construe to ‘trespassing’.
As an independent creative art space in Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda art district, Method is well known as the space for artists breaking away from the traditional definitions of ‘fine art’. Showcasing primarily ‘mid-career artists on track to leave a mark on modern art history’, it has evolved into a platform that allows young artists the freedom and space to imagine and create without restrictions. Together, through Pause, not only have they given their audiences an outlet to process and assimilate the chaos of our times, but also, enabled us to understand the far-reaching impact of art, especially in its raw and ‘unfinished’ state.
