Q&A: ANJU DODIYA
Q The title of your new show at Bikaner House, ‘The Air is a Mill of Hooks’, is the opening line of a poem by Sylvia Plath. Why her?
I have always admired her work. The title of the show seems the most appropriate as it captures the abrasive nature of the book. It is like an inventory of fear. Plath is the supercraftsman of pain.
Q In the ‘Alter Ego’, why is the subject chewing books?
It is a fictional narrative of the artist and the studio. The image of a person eating books is a metaphor for great desperation. It is kind of clinging on to civilisation. It is the fear I have of the digital age. I am not sure if the books I read will be passed on. It is all these threats.
Q Does ‘Alter Ego’ contain an element of self-portraiture?
It is a fictional self-image as the protagonist. It is neither autobiographical nor confessional. There is no alter ego; it is a construct. I use this character to speak of narratives of fear through the use of cut mattresses as canvas. The resistance of the fabric makes it interesting as a medium.
Q In one painting, a woman is looking into a mirror and a black face stares back. Who is she?
For a creative person, the basic fear is facing the white canvas. It can kill you. That could be the reference for the image. It is the artist confronting the canvas. It is dilemmas of the creative process. I call it ‘visitation.