Few would have imagined the unassuming house along Jalan Kovil Hilir could hold such artistic wonders. It was here, at Artvoice Gallery that Poojita Menon organised the preview of her solo exhibition titled Talking Heads.
The event was many days in the making, underlined by our palpable excitement having feasted our eyes on her prior works. Upon entering the gallery, we were immediately drawn to the wall.
Wooden panels were arranged vertically along it like waves, socketed with myriad clay faces. Each held enigmatic expressions that left everything to the interpretation of the onlooker.
To the right, numerous pedestals displayed ceramic objects akin to the priced artefacts of a long-lost civilisation. Miniature heads project from stoneware ceramics on bronze-coloured sticks. Ears decorated the edges of a chest-like box, and surmounting it, a head carved with an expression of childlike wonder.
Then there was a pillow bursting with ominous spikes. As for the host, she was a gracious personality, greeting everyone with a joy that was both infectious and uplifting. Fortunately, we managed to pry her away from her list of illustrious guests for a short but illuminating interview session.
“This whole solo exhibition has been three years in the making, where I reached for clay as a form of healing,” she said with an engaging smile.
According to Poojitha, she was a visual artist who worked primarily with oil paints. She began using clay as a form of therapy after a major event in her life.
It was during a simple play with clay that she was struck by this pleasant discovery, and it turned into a brilliant journey that culminated with all these artworks.
Poojitha approaches clay and sculpture intuitively, using traditional techniques such as coiling, slab work and pressing, while exploring contemporary themes and everyday elements of life with a whimsical and surreal twist. Her artwork depicts the demands of human relationships and emotions interplaying with surreal forms.
When asked about her favourite artwork, Poojitha did not hesitate to point out the Mother, a stoneware ceramic head with a feminine face painted blue. Crowning it is a smaller head, the configuration an enigmatic statement that made it an object of intense scrutiny.
“The Mother came in my dream. I truly realised that it stands for every single mother who is holding the responsibility of not just her dreams and hopes, but also of her child. That is why there is a small head on top of her head,” Poojitha said.
Another of her favourites was the Talking Heads, which was a series of air-dried clay heads mounted on wooden blocks. Inspired by the Indian epic Mahabharata, the artwork consists of 106 heads with different expressions, each saying something. It is a tribute to the two cousin clans in this tragic story of greed and war, the Kaurava and the Pandawa. Together, they make up 106 cousins.
“You don’t really get to choose your family you are born to, but you get to choose the family you want to be a part of,” she said in reference to the story, adding that one’s family could either make or break an individual.
Poojitha is also very selective towards customers who are interested in purchasing the Talking Heads. She will only sell it to someone who appreciates the story and has the space to display them.
We inquired if she had any words of wisdom to impart to those aspiring artists out there, and she was quick to point out the importance of being authentic.
She states that it is vital for artists to stay true to who they are in their artistic endeavours, warning that artists who attempt to paint or sculpt by observing the works of others may lose their authenticity. Even if they are to attend art classes, they should not end up painting like their art teacher.
“You have to paint like how you are meant to paint. So that means if you want to draw or you want to paint the sky green, that is your identity. Paint the sky green. Nobody can take that away from you. This is the artist’s interpretation of what the sky is. Who are we to take that away from them? So don’t ever lose that authenticity and don’t be scared to fight back,” she said.
Workwise, Poojitha has two shows coming up, where she will experiment with ceramic and other elements such as neon lights. In fact, one of her works will contain a whopping total of more than 40 to 50 elements, inspired by her childhood.
From 2003 to the present, Poojitha has over a decade of experience, having participated in more than thirty exhibitions nationally and internationally.
