Kannur :

It was in 2012 that Portugal-based Russian painter Madina Ziganshina got to witness a couple of theyyam performances in Kannur. Its colour and religious fervor literally mesmerized her that the artist decided to do a series of paintings capturing the spirit of theyyam, which she likes to describe ‘God’s Own Dance’.

A series of 15 paintings are on display at Brushman’s Art Gallery here till March 10. These watercolours are, in a sense, an outsider’s curious impressions of a ritualistic performance, its vibrance and unearthly ambience.

“When I saw the performance where the theyyam jumped into the fire, I was astonished and even wanted to jump and perform along with him,” said the painter, who was enthralled by the transformation of man into god.

There were lots of researches involved before embarking on the mission, including watching theyyam performances over the last couple of months in various kavus here, said Ziganshina. “The light, the dynamism of movement and the mesmerizing environment in the night air literally ignited my creative spirit which was later translated into these compositions.”

“Though I was influenced by legends and Russian folklore as a child, which later influenced my works too, those experiences were all through books while here, I got the chance to come face to face with the God’s own dance,” said the artist, who is here on an invitation by Travel Kannur, a firm promoting cultural tourism.

Though Ziganshina’s works is a merger of different styles including impressionism, abstraction and hyper realism, here she prefers to stick to realistic figuration to express a ‘magically realistic’ performance.

But rather than the momentum and vigour of theyyam, it is a stillness that is reflected in most of these works. Some of them appear like the frames seen through the viewfinder of a camera.

Still, there is a beauty of craftsmanship in these compositions that are narratives of a colorful ritual with a soul of fire.

Ziganshina, who has exhibited her works in many countries including the US, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Sweden, and Dubai, plans to take ‘God’s Own Dance’ to other towns in Kerala in the coming days.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / by P. Sudhakaran, TNN / March 07th, 2015