When goddess Durga was slaying Mahisa, she was not just decimating a demon, she was also killing her son. “One cannot interpret Mahisa as an asur, the demon in Indian mythology is much more complex than that,’’ says Carmel Berkson. That could be a statement from any art lover, but when it’s from Berkson it has a very special significance. A distinguished American sculptor with more than 50 years of work ex, Berkson chose to stay back here because of her interest in Indian mythology and sculpture. In her recent exhibition, Berkson has interpreted lore from the Puranas to create 25 patina green sculptures, five of which are of Durga slaying Mahisa. The turning point in Berkson’s artistic journey came when she discovered an ancient Durga carved in a rock at Ramgarh. It was a fourth-century sculpture where the buffalo Mahisa and the goddess were conjoined. ‘‘In later works, by the sixth century, the buffalo starts getting separated from the goddess,’’ Berkson says. And she should know. Not only has she been working on Indian sculpture for the past 30 years, but she has also authored five books on the subject. Having grasped the nuances of Indian sculpture, she wanted to document them. Berkson has been travelling to all parts of the country ever since—living in villages and photographing forms that people haven’t seen before. ‘‘Ancient Indian sculpture—as evident in sites like Mahabalipuram and Ellora—cannot be understood in a frontal way. None of the forms rise vertically, the idols at these sites radiate a tense, yet energetic interactivity. You cannot interpret a form in isolation, it always contributes to a larger whole, a bigger story,’’ says Berkson. ‘‘This is the land where even a rock assumes the significance of an idol, and sculpture lives in various forms. India has the richest art history in the world. Use it and cherish it,’’ she urges. When Berkson started out as a sculptor in New York in the ’50s, sculpture was the domain of men. But she was stubborn about giving her life to the medium. ‘‘I'm glad that I never received formal training in any art form. And gladder still that I came to this country,’’ she says. (Berkson’s work is on display at the Art Heritage Gallery at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, until September 28)
