BY SHRI RAM SHAW
NEW DELHI: Sareena, as the very name suggests, stands for “as beautiful as a queen” and it’s literally true when it comes to photography which is her passion. She is the “Queen of Photography” as it comes to her naturally. Having participated in many exhibitions across the globe, she has received many an accolades. It is her flair for contemporary art and decor, and her innate sense of colour and artistry that sets her apart.
A creative visualizer by heart, Sareena Kochar, an Indian artist based in Gurugram, sees beauty in just about everything and has a natural inclination towards photography (architecture and heritage), painting and other creative arts. She is an ace painter too and her creations speak volume for itself.
At a recent exhibition titled – “Art of Story Telling” held at New Delhi, when this journalist asked her if she ever put down her camera to “see with my own eyes” – a phrase that’s become part of a popular criticism of the Instagram-obsessed travellers, Sareena quipped, “I prefer to spend most of my time creating soulful paintings in my studio. I like to paint strong forms with pen and ink. My style is contemporary, with fauna and flora as its central elements and I draw inspiration from pop culture, shapes and various mythologies. When I’m not painting, I capture the world in my lens. I’ve a keen interest in photography as well.”
The exhibition, presented by Studio avantZgarde and curated by Avantika Kochar and Sareena at the Indian Council of Cultural Relations Azad Bhawan, IP Estate, New Delhi, was in collaboration with six artists showcasing some of their paintings and photographs that have been part of their life and the stories behind them. The exhibition was all about their depiction of what comes to the mind of the artist and looking at things from different perspectives and showcasing these concepts. Thus, the name “Art of Story Telling”.
Avantika is Sareena’s daughter and “her life”. She is currently exploring depths of tradition in Yoga Sutra’s and Ayurveda, having worked around the world in countries like China, Italy, Costa Rica, Portugal, Singapore, Austria, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, USA and the UK. She has a remarkable proficiency and a powerful intuitive approach to creativity. Her masterful fusion of realism with abstraction comes to fruition through an innate and harnessed use of colour and composition.
Avantika said, “My art is a colorful web where solid shapes and varied lines interact to keep the viewer in a playful atmosphere of exploration and imagination. My study in cultural studies has had a huge impact on my work as an art practitioner, art maker and human being. Being absorbed into topics on cultural identity through movement and innovative approaches to address cross-cultural embodiments of art forms has created a post-postmodern approach to bringing fresh ideas in play through various theories and mediums.”
However, Sareena can often be found somewhere remote, eye to the viewfinder, waiting for the perfect moment to snap the shutter. But that doesn’t mean she’s lost in her own little world. Seeing the world through a lens, she says, is the best way of all.
In response to the question – “if she ever put down her camera to see with her own eyes”, Sareena said, “In this age of smartphones and digital photography, where anyone can pick up a camera and spend hours staring down their own lens, it’s not a surprising question. But I am still taken aback that someone could think that photographing a landscape – composing an image, observing the light and waiting for the right moment – is anything other than the highest, most concentrated form of looking.”
In an exclusive discussion, she further said, “I suppose for many, photography can be just about taking a snap and moving on. But for me, the best photographs – and travel experiences – happen when you stay still, really look around you, and bed down into the landscape. Lying on the ground to get a different angle or zooming into the macro to check every detail gives photographers a more intense focus on what’s around them. And staying still really pays off. I can’t count the number of times I’ve encountered something unexpected, or been approached by locals who’ve either become photographic subjects or a source of really useful information just by standing still and waiting with my camera.”
“The modern digital image tells a powerful sensory story. Many even cite the ever-growing popularity of digital photography as ruining travel – the ubiquitous selfie stick and the inundation of digital photos as we try to capture the world in pixels. But when I go over my photo archives I am immediately back in a destination and, depending on how widely and well I shot, I can recount a travel story based solely on the smells, sounds and colours that are cued only by a 2D image,” Sareena added.
A character in a Turgenev novel says, “The drawing shows me at one glance what might be spread over ten pages in a book”, and the modern digital image tells a similarly powerful, sensory story. What’s more, a photographer’s way of seeing turns on its head the recent digital detoxing trends. The “put down your device and just take it all in” advice is all well and good, but what’s more mindful than scrutinising your surroundings, waiting patiently for the perfect landscape being totally immersed in the environment around you through photography?
Sareena said, “Photographers are often more attuned to their environment, to the subtle changes in atmosphere, light and colour, so I try not to get vexed when people suggest we should put down our cameras and actually look. For me, the experience of photographing a new or well-loved location is an act that transcends everyday vision. Not really looking? Bah, what tosh. I’m seeing with even bigger eyes, thanks to the technology of my camera and my own focused gaze.”
A few facts about Studio avantZgarde:
Avantika said, “our company started with soulful work in the education industry through movement – dance, sports, visual arts, music and theatre; along with sustainable participation and provision through health seminars in different villages of India, specifically focusing on girl education.”
“In 2013, we further diversified our focus to dance styles classical ballet and contemporary; and its supplementary training through pilates, alexander technique, yoga etc by providing workshops and classes along with curating and managing events. Since then, our company has been working on a global level with people, organisations, ideas and cultures around the world,” she added.
“We are academically providing education, resources and training for pre professionals and professionals in the arts. Along with a separate journey in the wellness segment with an emphasis on both mind and body through somatic movement therapy, movement and health workshops, yoga holidays, 200hr yoga teacher training, spa and beauty, travel experiences, pop ups and a wide range of organic and natural products,” Avantika concluded.