--Reviewed by Jaydeep Sarangi
Natalia Molebatsi and
Tiziana Pers
FORUM, In collaboration with the University of Udine, Udine, Italy
ISBN
978-88-3283-008-8, 2017
Price of the book €12.
Price of the book €12.
Art is the
physical self of the artist, and it is impossible to separate the artist from
her art. As all forms of Art appeal to our senses, we
unwittingly follow a pull from within. We become part of an active process, and
together we move on—the art and the
artist. Elephant Woman Song is thinking
aloud the subtle process of togetherness between nature and being. In the real plane, it’s an
artistic encounter between two women, a visual artist and a poet. The artist
goes wild for environmental justice. She paints elephants, African elephants
relating them with nature. Nature has moods. Elephants are like human being
here.
The
poet finds ‘language of the stars’. An amazing synthesis of human feelings and
the experience of nature prevails in the poems.:
“in another dream
we are
one world(.)” (‘elephant song’, i )
Design of a beautiful product is not just what it looks like and feels like.
Design is how it works. The book serves the aesthetic function. Both the poems
and the paintings keep our sense organs busy. We notice a magical bell somewhere. Dr. Antonella
Riem’s ‘Introduction’ to the book virtually opens the door of glowing pages of a Pandora’s box. We follow small steps guided
by the emotional power of the artists.
The beauty of a poem is born out of a rich
sensibility of the mind—a fine poem is a red rose that gives a feeling that it
holds something more to open, even as it blooms petal by petal before the
reader. A powerful artistic sensibility
enlivens even rusty metals and bricks; such imagination is like an
intoxicating drop of wine that fuels the flame of artistic fusion. A lyrical moment of ecstasy follows
an involved discourse. It transmits energy to the observer , and brings latent qualities to the surface. The stationed aspirations of are pushed forward,
and the poet makes best use of them with her available armoury. All this is true of this collection.
As we gallop from one poem to another in Elephant Woman Song, we enjoy a feast
of ideas; ‘Tiziana Pers and Natalia Molebatsi’s creative idiom turns into a multilayered
discourse:
“sing your
song
my song
sing it to
my memory bag(.)”
(‘elephant song’,v )
In the Acknowledgement Natalia writes, “Each poem gave birth to the next, until I
thought they could be compiled into a book alongside the paintings.” The
poetess honour the elephant as her totem and spirit being. Tiziana’s paintings
are mostly ‘oil and graphic canvas’. Life pulsates in these paintings. This
collection of poems go beyond a definite boundary, more than functioning as social
responsibility or cultural memory. It’s a collection of partnership in this
global village where human and non human should live hand in hand. Paintings
and poems by two amazing artists correlate diverse facets of life and
responsibilities. There is the ethical part in this living togetherness. On the
other side, there is genetic impulse. A collaborative narrative, an interface
between poetry and painting is born. The baby is the elephant woman; the spirit
of the mother earth.It’s a metaphor of conquest:
“our
song
singing
liberation(.)” (‘elephant song’,v )
 |
| Jaydeep Sarangi |
“ the ocean knows
The taste of your
tears(.)” (‘time travel’)
It’s
about the land; history of the land and the saviours of the Mother Earth.
Authors:
Natalia Molebatsi is an internationally known South African poet and singer.
Tiziana Pers is a visual artist and activist anchored in Udine, Italy.
