Art without boundaries: Dr Rekha K Rana traces the co-relation between Indo-Greek culture

Dr Rekha K Rana is known for chronicling the relationship between two seemingly different places and finding a common connection between both. In her last exhibition that was held three years ago, she had examined the co-relation between Benares where she had spent 16 years of her life and Mumbai, which she terms her karmabhoomi. Now, in her new show titled Indus Streams & Delphi Hills, which is currently underway at Jehangir Art Gallery, she takes a look at how India has been consistently influenced by Greece when it comes to art, culture and civilisation. The 32 mixed media on canvas works that are on display are vivid creations in earthern shades such as olive green, red, brown and yellow ochre. While one of her paintings depict ancient Greek goddess Athena, the other draws parallels between artworks from that country and how they are found in Indian folk tradition. In her 19-year-old career, the artist has always been attracted towards the visual element and the story behind it. “I paint whatever I explore and experience,” she says. Excerpts from a chat with the artist...

For this exhibition, you have sought inspiration from the Indus valley as well as the Greek civilisation.What was your inspiration?

Earlier, I was working on a series based on tribals who live in the Green belt (forest areas in India). At that time, I noticed that the inhabitants of certain areas in Jharkhand use some symbols, which were used by the Greeks in ancient times. I was keen to find out why tribals of India are using these symbols, which existed so many years ago in another culture and what are their relevance right now. I also wanted to understand European art in context of Indian art and decided to trace the link further. As I started doing more research, I realised that there was a lot of cultural exchange between Indian and Greek art in 2000 BC.

How did you research the Greek culture?

I was working on a small project for Athens University and I had translated their prospectus from Greek to Hindi in collaboration with one of the professors. I met a few people from Athens, Santorini and Trikala.

What were the unique things that you discovered?

There are a lot of similarities between French, Germans and Italians, but I found Greeks very different as their culture and mythology is distinct. They are deeply interested in art and agriculture. Greece is hugely influenced by the Eastern countries and the Indus area. I have been studying the origin of European art for almost three years. When I see the advancement in European art, culture and fashion, they are vastly different than Asian countries. I wanted to know from where did it originate. The mother of all European culture is Greece as it has a perfect mix of European and Asian influences.

Indus Streams & Delphi Hills is on view till June 4 from 11 am -7 pm at Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda.