Philosophically speaking, every poet or artist, sculptor or graphic designer is attempting to interpret the silences ‘In Between the Lines’. The innovative exhibition curated by Meena Chopra presents this paradox of articulating the imagination while accepting its provisionality. By tracking 23 women poets from across the world and counterpointing their work with the art of Mississauga-based late Miro Korsic, she has built a dialogue across nations, cultures and aesthetic expressions. In the poems appear the diverse ways in which contemporary struggles and attempted resolutions become transformed by the filter of the artistic eye. There is violence as well as peace, grief as well as ecstasy, homelessness and new habitations, affections along with enmities—none of these are oppositional but merge strangely with one another in a myriad play of words and images.
Digital platforms are said to be ephemeral, too changeable, too plentiful. Interestingly, the exhibition’s choice of this mode gives it a permanency that is impossible for physically mounted artifacts or poetry boards. To have the leisure and power to maneuver through the exhibits, zoom into poems one wishes to read closely or inspect the artworks with a closer view is a refinement of aesthetic opportunities. The vision document states the intent to be global and also resonate with the stamp of a particular voice or image. A fascinating blend of artistry, technology and design devoted to “metaverse”—or poetry beyond conceivable boundaries—this exhibition charts a new path in display methodologies. Its philosophy of foregrounding the mystical interstices in creation and the infinite capacity of the humane and artistic imagination to enter and expand those spaces is both admirable and laudatory.
Malashri Lal, Professor in the English Department (retd), University of Delhi, has sixteen books to her credit including In Search of Sita (2009,2018), Tagore and the Feminine: (2015), Finding Radha (2019). Her specialization is in literature, women and gender studies. Her poems and stories have been published in Indian Literature, Confluence, The Beacon, online portals and anthologies. She was a Senior Consultant to the Ministry of Culture, and has served on international book award juries. Lal is a frequent speaker at literary festivals and is currently Member, English Advisory Board of the Sahitya Akademi (Govt of India).
In any art,
whatever is ‘in-between the lines’, veiled within the interludes of
forms/shapes/gestures or colours, hidden from the naked eyes and stark
sensibilities, is what actually gives an innate power and exceptional value to
that art. This is what touches the human chord and brings humanity closer and
together. Any artform, be it sound, written word, or a visual formation, gives
a phenomenal purpose to life by merely drawing us to its impelling power and
giving impetus to energy emerging from its source, grassrooted in its
anonymity.
In the beginning, man lived in caves and etched and wrote on the stones in the
form of art images, later developing them into language and script, then
graduating to express himself on barks and leaves and then came paper. Printing
was invented. Now we live in an era of virtual planes and metaverse. We keep on
advancing outwards and onwards with ever-changing and growing new mediums of
manifesting, yet the inner need to express remains unchanged. We still search
for the same meanings ‘in-between the lines’ in a wider scope of ‘space and
time. Let us explore this together here and now, with 23 women poets, along
with the art of Mississauga-based late Miro Korsic, in the metaverse on the
virtual platform of the CROSSARTS gallery.
-Meena Chopra
Report:
This unique event happened in Mississauga on the
24th Sept.
International show of 'Art and Poetry' in
metaverse, on the virtual plane of CROSSARTS Gallery, showcasing women poets
from Canada and India and the Indian diaspora from the UK and USA
Art displayed was byy Canadian Artist - Miro
Korsic (1940-2012) (An artist that leaves behind his legacy of beautiful art in
Mississauga, Canada)This simultaneously also inaugurated the virtual art
gallery CROSSARTS in metaverse under the aegis of Cross Currents Indo-Canadian
International Arts. Event is organized by CROSS CURRENTS - Indo-Canadian
International Arts with the support of Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) and also
celebrated 75 Years of India's Independence
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Show is conceived and curated by Meena Chopra,
Artist and Poet and co-curated by Nain Amyn
Keynote speakers were Mississauga Councillor
Dipika Damerla, Apoorva Srivastava, Indian Consul General Toronto, Mike
Douglas ED Mississauga Arts Council. Yogesh Patel, publisher and writer
from UK , Gavin Barrett, writer and poet from Toronto and Peter Korsic from
Toronto ( Peter spoke about his father late Miro Korsic's art displayed beside
the poetry) .
23 gallery poets from different parts of the
world (USA, UK, INDIA, CANADA) including Mississauga read their poetry on the
24th Sept on the launch day on a Zoom meeting. Their names are given below.
This online event and the art show on the
virtual plane of CROSSARTS Gallery in metaverse has been conceived and curated
by Meena Chopra, a Mississauga based artist and poet and co- curated by Nain
Amyn.
Malashri Lal
