Unveil the art behind the mask

“Kahi ghongat, kabhi parda, kahi burkha ya naqaab,

Kisi zevar sa, isko sab sajaye baithe hai,

Ek chehra yaha sab lagaye baithe hai.”

These very thought provoking lines were recited by actor Naved Aslam on the inauguration day of The

Mask

Project, an event that is one of the largest group shows in Pune on the theme of masks.

Enter

Monalisa Kalagram

in Koregaon Park, and you see the colourful, vibrant mask on one side and paintings and installations on the other. There are art connoisseurs and enthusiasts looking at the artworks in awe and trying to interpret them. “Whether they disguise, hide or reveal the identity, masks are fascinating. The masks on display here can be given different interpretations, by different people. Each artist in this exhibition has played and manipulated these sets of conventions. And it’s amazing to be here and witness such insightful art,” says Anurupa Shinde, a visitor.

The event includes five traditional artists who have painted six masks each for the show. About 55 contemporary artists from Pune who work in different mediums have created artworks around the mask theme. Apart from this, the event includes an exhibition of traditional masks from various states of the country. “Masks have long been an integral part of our tradition and culture apart from being an intriguing aesthetic form. This exhibition aims at creating awareness amongst art enthusiasts, exposing them to various mediums of expression of the same theme,” says organiser Lisa Pingle.

Spanning over ten days, the event features a display of artworks by tribal artists who are experts in Phad, Madhubani and Gond art. Artist Bhim Sutradhar, whose

Chhau Mask

is on display, says, “Masks are an integral part of the Chhau dance. They are made using clay, mud and paper. First, a clay model is made from antel maati (sticky clay from the river) and dried in the sunlight. Then it is covered with powdered ash. Successive layers of soft paper pulp mixed with glue from the mulberry plant are pasted on the cast. The final details are carved out by applying a thin layer of clay. The entire thing is then dried under the sun again,” he explains. The procedure doesn’t end here. After drying, the mask is wrapped in a clay-soaked cloth for a smooth texture and then polished with a wooden spatula called kabeez. After a layer of zinc oxide, the mask is painted with bright colours. Each mask and artwork on display has a different story and has gone through all different processes.

Gayatri Despande who is conducting a mask painting workshop, and has also presented her painting on the theme ‘Identity Unmasked’, adds, “My paintings reflect the search for the true essence and hidden layers of my personality. There is an interesting play of known and unknown, static and movement, light and shade. My paintings are the realisation of the fact that I am not black or white, but grey.” Apart from presenting artwork and installations, The Mask Project is hosting workshops for visitors learn to paint or make masks under the guidance of renowned artists.

Some mask on displayPattachitra Mask: These are made by traditional expert chitrakars of Orissa. Patta paintings of Orissa have evolved and flourished under the followers of Lord Jagannatha and therefore considered to be as old as the temple of Lord Jagannatha at Puri which is said to have been builti circa the 12th Century AD.

Majuli

Mask: Majuli is a riverine island in the Brahmaputra basin. Masks have been an important part of Majuli’s Sattra culture. Traditionally, masks were used for religious dance and drama. Here the bamboo is spliced into small pieces and long thin sticks are crafted into a skeleton of bamboo shaped as per requirement of the character. Over that, a layer of cow dung or clay is applied for minute details such as nose, eyes and ears.

Cherial mask: Cherial is a village about 100 kms away from Hyderabad and is known for its style of scroll paintings and masks for many centuries. Wandering story-tellers used these scrolls and masks in traditional story telling when they travel from village to village. Painstakingly wrought using a light wood base, tamarind seeds and sawdust, these masks are intricately painted, mostly in a red or blue base colour.

Dinajpur mask: The wooden masks of Kushmandi in Dakshin Dinajpur,

West Bengal

have ensued from animistic practices of the Rajbongshi community. The masks are used by the villagers either during the dance performance ˜Gomira or as an offering to the village deity in order to usher good and fend evil. Locally available wood such as Gamar, Mango are used to make these masks. Wood pieces are kept submerged in la rge reservoirs containing water mixed with mulberry gum powder, bleaching powder and sal; the pieces are taken out after a week and sun-dried.