Patterns of War

Titled “Lv,Pony”,this is Kolkata-based mixed media artist and printmaker’s new series of work. Comprising serigraphs and acrylics,the exhibition opened at Gallery Espace recently. The series,priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 6 lakh,is inspired by the artist’s retired brigadier friend,who was nicknamed ‘Pony’ by his army colleagues and used to sign off letters with ‘Lv,Pony’. “He was a second lieutenant during the 1971 war and sent me several stories about those days. I have used some of them here,” says Sengupta,who visited Bangladesh for her research.

The works are not merely pictures of conflict,but a collection of personal narratives. “The exhibition isn’t only about Indian Army officers but also ordinary civilians,who were affected by the war,” says Sengupta. She points to a “museum of memory,” which comprises artwork,in which objects like pillows,army uniforms and beddings are worked upon with intricate embroidery. “The main embroidery form used here is called nakshi kantha and is common in Bangladesh and eastern India,” she adds.

Sengupta has also used colonial cross-stitch material,fine muslin and jamdani from Dhaka,which has been juxtaposed with colonial forms of embroidery like stem stitch,chain stitch,and buttonhole stitch. “Women were left behind by war and took to embroidery,both to bide their time and retain their sanity. Thus,they contributed to the war by sewing uniforms and blankets for the soldiers,” she says.

Lv,Pony also has a set of six embroidered pillows sitting pinned to its frame. “I have used the pillow because it is an essential Bengali cultural object,which signifies a common culture between Bangladesh,the nation that was created after the 1971 war,and Bengal,” she says.

The exhibition is on till August 20 at Gallery Espace,New Friends Colony. Contact 26326268