KARACHI – “I am a hollow form – either occupied, vacant or in a state of flux. A functional form though, occasionally reduced to a dysfunctional state. This state of flux stimulates my evolution as an artist. I am continuously attempting to understand and communicate thoughts, emotions and ideas,” says Mithra Birdie.
Birdie says creating art is an experimental process, in which one falters, fails and succeeds. The sense of fulfilment is temporary as work is continuously re-evaluated and the process of creating is incessant and cathartic. This creative process gives substance to her existence and, hence, there is an obsessive need to create. “This obsession is the essence of my work and forms,” she explains.
Her artwork stems from a fascination with form. Certain objects – organic or inorganic – regardless of their scale or physical presence arouse her curiosity. It is the aesthetics of these forms that demand her attention. “As I produce drawings, paintings and various three-dimensional works based around the selected object, they develop their own identity. The object serves as a means to discover, to delve into oneself and address the personal as well as a means to grapple with larger issues,” she says.
The continuing dilemmas addressed by her work are the properties and nature of natural forms as opposed to metallic forms. These issues are being addressed through studies of the remaining shells of barnacles lodged on the sides of grounded ships pulled onto the shore to scrap in ship-breaking yards. The rusting metal surface and the barnacles merge together to form a composite whole.
Sometimes their existence overlaps to such an extent that one is left to ponder whether there is any difference in their nature. One grows, the other is manufactured, yet they finally disintegrate in a similar fashion. One of the underlying questions is also whether these forms finally decompose or whether they transcend their material existence. Hence, the form might be an analogy for human existence, she concludes.
Photos courtesy VASL Art
