Alliance Française de Singapour is holding The Blue Magician exhibition by Bharti Singh for its opening exhibition as part of its visual arts programme line up of the year 2012. In this exhibition, Bharti draws inspiration from The Blue Magician, a character which refers to ‘Krishna’ or the Blue man who widely appears with a flute, as divine energy. 

Concept

Written by Bharti Singh

I believe, the power to represent emerging thoughts on canvas with the help of various tools and mediums is the most precious privilege bestowed by the divine upon us.  In my present collection, divine energy, my source of inspiration, is represented by the Blue man, ‘Krishna’ or THE BLUE MAGICIAN. 

Krishna, repeatedly appears in my work with the FLUTE in his hand. Music of the Flute breaths the essence of life to all and exerts its influence over various levels of existence. The serene, eternal and ever nurturing music from the flute has the power to unbind, energy flows freely and elevates  beyond the physical harness  towards the final goal……NIRVANA.

Other objects such as bells, flowers, cage, cows, masks and birds bear special significance in my work.

Meditate to the sound of BELLS of ashat dhatu [a mixture of eight metals], which resonate the sound ‘OM’, the seed sound or the sound of the universe .This sound bestows wisdom and bliss and leads one to the path of illumination by energizing our consciousness, freed from the CAGE or worldly binding, it has the power to open the floodgates of the highest intellectual and creative capabilities. 

FLOWERS are to celebrate life, they are  reminders of the supreme energy around which life revolves, and  also represent the evolution of consciousness.

COW in the Indian context has always been considered sacred,  its very existence is considered healthy and life supporting for mankind. Moreover, Krishna in his manifestation on earth played the role of a cowherd, as a child.   

TILAK, marking on the forehead, it’s the highest chakra considered to be the point for meditation, SHAKTI [ Strength ] is the perfect mixture of male and female energy. I have tried to show energy in the form of a female holding MASKS which depicts dual strength and completes the circle like the rhythm of night and day. Shakti [Goddess in India ] rides on a Tiger.

About the Artist

Born in a Northern state of India., Bharti is an Art Post Graduate. Her first Solo Exhibition was in 1983, at IFACS., New Delhi, India. Since then she has held several solo and group shows within India and overseas and participated in a number of workshops, camps and fundraisers.
 
She married at a very young age into a family of Wild Life enthusiasts. Therefore, her true artistic education began at the most basic level of personal interaction and emotional involvement with the natural world. From realistic portrayal of wild life, she moved to a more passionate view, of the issue of eco-conservation. Her sincerity towards her subject gives her paintings a degree of personal involvement. With the change of lifestyle from a Rural setting to an urban life, change in her work too,  is quite dramatic. The forest environs of her past have vanished and in its place are Gods in High Chroma as well as black and white. The fluid contours of the Bengal School immediately come to mind. But what is implicit as in her paintings of  pristine jungle is the idealisation of pure states - innocent of human presence, and its contaminant effects.
 
The main linking factor between the two different subjects, however, is not merely the reference to the devine; it is a strong sense of colour that dominates Bharti’s works. A personal vision has melded into a broader language, one that seeks both personal definition and grace. The simplicity of her compositions are alluring.