Wordy Art

Painter at heart,spiritual at soul,the graphic artist-turned-typographer Kamal Jain has put aside paints,brushes,easel and canvas to find expression in fonts. Jain—the two-time winner of Lalit Kala Academy Award for painting—has created a series of 24 paintings,based on the Jainism’s revered Namokar Mantra. The paintings will be showcased at the Museum Art Gallery from July 5 to July 11.

Jain has brought into play a combination of typographic elements,like fonts and graphic design techniques,to give a visual expression to oral mantras. “Use of fonts came as a default choice. I have been experimenting with them as a graphic designer and art director of different publications. But,the theme is an outcome of years of studying Jain literature,visiting places of Jain worship and pilgrimage,research of ancient relics,sculpture and motifs,” says Jain,who voices his artistic-self by merging art with spirituality.

However,churning out text-splattered pieces of art was not a cakewalk for the artist. “It took a decade of research to work on these paintings. I had to find an appropriate method of expressing the mantras,” he reveals. While explaining one of his works,wherein he creates Lord Shiva’s thumb impression using the Namokar Mantra,Jain says,“In every form of art,a unique expression of the ordinary is essential. Similarly,creativity in expressing spiritual is imperative.” Jain’s mantra for world peace also includes a painting called the Universal Protector,which shows the Swastika in a global shame,picturing an eye- shaped ‘Om’ at the centre.