Bengaluru My meeting with the dream whisperers of sculptor Dimpy Menon

Dimpy Menon in her show ‘Dream Whisper’ in Bengaluru. , Photo courtesy: Murali Kumar K.

There’s something frenetic about twilight anywhere in the world. Everything is in a state of change. Sun. Moon. Tide and sky. light and shadow. Roads and street lights. Movement rules.

As always, Lavelle Road in Bengaluru is busy. Impatient drivers honking, the sound of bikes and autorickshaws whizzing by on the narrow road lined with illuminated shop windows and restaurants are creating mini-explosions in my mind. The budding city becomes even more vibrant on Saturday evenings. But there is relief within the blank white walls of Gallery Time & Space. The blank white walls and the sculptures inside reach out to the frantic pace of the street below as if to say: Leave us, this way.

The show is starting as I enter. Sculptor Dimpy Menon and his team keep assessing the space and its possibilities. The statues are still waiting to be found at their designated place. But it seems that peace is not going away. Amidst the hammers, pliers, wires and boxes, the dream whisperers have found their calling. This is what I expected to see when I asked to preview the show before the actual opening.

‘Dream Whispers’ by Dimpy Menon Photo courtesy: Murali Kumar K.

I have been familiar with Menon’s work for over two decades and have followed the escalating cycle of his artistic trajectory.

I think of Menon’s earlier drawings, paintings and bronzes and the sense of waiting they convey. Each line depicts the innate longing that comes with waiting. In the years that followed, his bronzes grew larger and their energy became even more powerful. Even the aerial sculptures captured in mid-motion were demonstrating raw tensile strength. The sculptor and his creations had moved into a realm where ‘doing’ reigned supreme.

illustration from nature

But this evening, I see a new dimension that has been added to Menon’s artistic journey. Much of his art is derived from nature and the body in motion. But now his work had moved towards the embodiment of peace. This does not mean that they are stable. In fact, movement is still at the core of his work. But this is a dynamic spontaneity. I feel a glow of soul when I spend time with each new piece. Some motifs are familiar and some are new. This is exactly how any artistic journey should be – the art and the artist sharing a path together.

‘Dream Whispers’ by Dimpy Menon Photo courtesy: Murali Kumar K.

among the tall lotuses [or lotii as I prefer to call them] And with ribbons fluttering and birds always flying in the sky, the human form tells a new story. They are no longer what they used to be.

the title of the show is whisper of dreams And you can see why.

‘Dream Whispers’ by Dimpy Menon Photo courtesy: Murali Kumar K.

Each of the dream whisperers is in their own world where self-actualization is sovereign. There is a Narcissus-like man lying on his stomach and looking towards the water. He dreams, untouched by everything happening around him. There is a majestic woman leaping into the air while fanning two birds with her palm. He is unaware of the investigation or is unaffected by it.

‘Dream Whispers’ by Dimpy Menon Photo courtesy: Murali Kumar K.

Swinging couples, both apart and together, their bodies turning into each other. Sculptures are no longer about waiting or doing. Instead they have measured emotions and calm acceptance. And the jealous person has the ability to find peace even in motion.

Chasing form and speed

Menon won a bronze medal in arts college. Bronze is not an easy metal to work with and yet it became the medium that spoke to him best. She would tell me everything about the lost wax casting process – the toughness it requires, the physical strength it requires, the eye for detail required to pursue form and movement with alloy. – has made it magical for him.

Testament to this is the fact that Menon has had 27 solo shows across the world, has been a part of several group shows and her work is part of many prestigious collections. She was the first Indian sculptor to win the Lorenzo Il Magnifico Bronze Award at the Florence Biennale.

I sit for a while and look at the statues. The 140 kg statue features a taut neck tendon that appears not to be of bronze but of muscle and sinew. The delicate hollow in the small of the back of a seated man. The exquisite curve of a bird’s wing. A scary mask with stars coming out of the mouth. The sculptor is a god who holds thought and movement forever.

‘Dream Whispers’ by Dimpy Menon Photo courtesy: Murali Kumar K.

In the morning the sculptures will be installed on balls and blocks. They will be seen making the most of it. As guests moved around, the heat of the room would make the bronze parts shine. Silent conversation will drown out the whisperings of the soul.

But this evening, the whispers of dreams are calling me to join them in their magical world. There is nothing sinister or fraudulent there. Just cool and calm stuff.

This is art at its finest.

Dream Whispers is on at Gallery Time & Space until 1 February.

The author is a writer. His last book was Hot Stage, the third book in the Borei Gowda Noir series.