Stitch in time

While the country was plagued with power crisis and millions of people spent long nights in the dark in Ghana, in a small town near Navrongo a non-descript school building was acting as the sole source of light for the people of the town. Artist Andrew Mez was the man who had designed the building exteriors last year. Covered with phosphorescent material, the artist reveals, ìThe structure emitted enough light for the teachers to hold evening classesî. He used the same material for a live installation at the Venice biennale in 2004. Assisting him in creating the artwork, besides fellow artists, were the visitors who were handed flashlights to imprint patterns over the material. ìIt is an amazing material and always attracts attention,î smiles Mez, who was recently in Delhi for a solo exhibition of his creations titled Mister Manic.

Currently on display at the newly opened Rafaael Gallery, for the series, Mez has abstained from phosphorescent materials and has instead picked on traditional textiles from India. So, thick cotton fabrics have replaced canvases and for the embellishments Mez has woven together lace and silk dipped in natural dye. ìEverything, from stitching the fabrics together to dyeing and painting on them has been done by me,î smiles the 26-year-old, who spent the last few months mastering the†traditional Indian techniques of dyeing in Rajasthan. ìItís sad that natural pigments arenít popular any more. Everyone wants to flaunt more chic options,î he states, pointing out to batik stamps imprinted on a fabric in a creation titled Big Hairy Winning Machine Skyscape. In this, Mez has painted the Singapore skyline over batik patterns. ìThe contrast is interesting,î he says.

Meanwhile, if the creations on fabric are essentially Indian, the drawings on paper featured in the exhibition have a more western appeal. Sketched on the official stationary of House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, Mez has men with bird beaks and women with jaw lines of a wolf because, as he puts it, he ìwanted to play around.î With the India sojourn coming to an end, Mez is already packing bags for an exhibition in Basel. ìIíll scout for some traditional fabrics there too,î he quips. So, is another trip to India on the cards? ìI may come back to learn more traditional techniques,î promises the artist.†
The exhibition at Rafaael Gallery, Chattarpur, is on till May 15.