Known to Unknown

Photo-documentation of the site-specific, ash-on-wall performance-based installation first produced in 2006.

Ash is symbolic of the remains of a human body after cremation. It also brings to mind the powder left behind after something has been burned. Generally ash lends itself to the gloomy feeling of bereavement and is inevitably linked to death and annihilation. It symbolizes the perishable and impermanent side to existence. Yet this is in turn followed by resurrection, a new beginning where one evolves from a condition of imperfection into a finer state.

“Is ash the ultimate end or is there something beyond?” “Why do people desire to die in Benaras?” “What is the meaning of life?” “What is the process of death?” these queries led Srinivasa to explore a path that resulted in four months of inundated inquiry. His search first directed him to the desolate burning ground of Harishchandra ghat in Bangalore. Once he was able to convince the keepers that he was not a sorcerer he was allowed to carry back the ashes of an unclaimed body.

By transforming ash into a work of art Srinivasa pays homage to the unknown spirit. As a motif of art it yields itself to the temporal and timeless quality of creativity. According to Srinivasa, ‘the process of death seems more interesting than life and once you realize, all aspects of life seem meaningless.’ His previous work ‘kulu mukti’ (1997) also revolved around sacrificial offering to souls and living beings.

The present work, ‘Known to Unknown’, began around a single point, a dead insect stuck to the interior of his studio wall. He discovered the only way to use ash (a mix of human remain and wood) skillfully was to dab the material onto the wall with the index finger thereby creating continual textured impressions in varied tone. One dot was identical with one family. The homage extended to four walls and gradually 2000 sq. feet surface area was covered with 48,40,000 dots. The artist's imagination covered 18" high walls spanning 20' and 40' in width on either side. With the spontaneous flow of thoughts, the formless and abstract images settled within a framework that established an identity, a local habitation to nothingness. In a labyrinth of movement, the artist conveyed the pulse of life, happiness and grief. It is while sensing the vibrations that the outer walls crumble away to reveal the inner meaning.

In this visual act the artist is the creator, destroyer and resurrector who surrenders to the bliss of creative revelation. Every act is a ritualistic submission to the demands of the process. This includes the practice of meditation and traditional dhoti worn by the artist during work every day. In the first stage action revolved around the feat of matter the material and individual energy where touch and texture are repeatedly performed as a ritual. The four walls are transformed into a sacrificial ground where illusion and deeds are burnt away. The eternal rhythm of life and death pulsates on the surface of walls. In that moment, each mark on the wall is an offering. It heightens the symbolic ecstasy of mukti or release from all bondage. It negates all multiplicity of forms, of life...etc. The spirit comprehends a dream in one wave of freedom and bliss. It feels the unending power of the divine.

This leads to the next stage where a release of emotions is experienced. The entire creation is viewed in a merger of light and shadow. By converting the wooden handle of a spade into a torchlight lit on one end the artist invites the viewer to discover the work in segments. The spade is a tool used for harvesting. It is both a symbol of death and of new hope that harvest brings. Lighting a fire is a magico-religious rite. Fire is believed to have three purposes: as generator, purifier and destroyer. Here fire expresses a birth of a new feeling. Through fire the artist performs an arati or sacred offering of benevolence to the unknown.

The last stage dissolves the entire creation. Seen in this light, sacrifice is a progression towards truth through compliance with divine will. The walls are whitewashed. This proclaims a fresh beginning and peace for the departed souls. In the process, the grandeur of this conception unlocks the complex issue of life and death. Every part of such a work is directly expressive of pure energy. It reconciles time with eternity. Ultimately it calls for bliss in mukti or total release from all testimonial declarations.