Tribune Art Review

Fact and Fiction

Anu Dheer's painting exhibition weaves reality with fiction
- Ashima Sehajpal
Any work of fiction surfaces from reality. It's is an offshoot, the facts and actual life with its base. The two, fiction and reality, when juxtaposed, result in creativity. So when, Anu Dheer, a city based amateur artist began working on, 'The absolute quiet of something about to arrive', a series of paintings a year back, she realised the interspersion of the two better, "The subject matter of the series, human being and his connection with the surroundings mirrors reality, and how I visualise the relation between the two is fiction, but again with a backdrop of reality."
In her series of fifteen paintings, done with acrylic and oil, she has put on canvas, diverse relationships, good or bad between man and nature, supernatural factors, technological advances, environment degradation, even callous actions like female foeticide. She reasons her portraying the man's connection with his surroundings, "Whatever we are today is a result of our efforts, deeds and more importantly how our surroundings have reacted to it. Our culture and society contribute to our growth in a certain way."
Her painting, 'The anarchy of profit' depicts a human being caught in the spiral progression of technology and how he is bearing its burden, "We are profiting from technology but after paying a price in the form of polluted environment." She has in the similar way portrayed various ills of the society.
In, 'Perils of the cashmere twilight', the message that comes across is, we need to be wise and patient to resolve the Kashmir issue, "In the painting, the white elephant symbolises peace and charkha placed on it conveys message that we should resort to the path of peace shown by Mahatma Gandhi."
After having painted all the major social issues, she felt one on the present political scenario was a must and thus came the 'License to Skill', "If politicians intend, they can use their power to develop the society. I have denoted them through stones, which can be used for destruction or can be considered as idols. It depends on how they want to use their power."
It was quite natural for her to paint one on female foeticide; a subject she feels will affect all individuals in some or the other way in the coming times. The piece, 'Departure from the land of goddess' depicts the same with cracks on barren land that will merge only when the society will give due respect to women. Female foeticide will also be the theme of her next series.
The exhibition is on display at the Alliance Francaise de- 36, till July 31.