Tribune :Chandigarh
11/29/2000 , By Suparna Saraswati
Manna’s timeless images
“My work you would choose to describe as a confluence of photography painting, theatre and literature…” says Diwan Manna, a freelance photographer who hails from Bareta, Punjab. With several awards and felicitations to his credit, this artist bears a spirit of essential art and aesthetics. Diwan over the years has fulfilled an array of human perplexities and situations that have been reflected in his series on violence, waking the dead and now with the Wheel of Time.
Diwan’s passion with his camera began when he was a student at the local Government College of Art. His experiment with the lens showed remarkable talent when he went to Nepal and took some phenomenal photographs. Since then there has been no looking back for this free-spirited artist.
His work cannot be categorized as being singularly contemporary in nature for Diwan transcends all time barriers while doing a shoot. Each frame is drawn from a challenge and a story. He treats his subject with rare sensitivity and uncovers the inner life of what passes for the familiar human reality.
The latest show of his work at the Alliance Francaise, Chandigarh, is yet another thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating display where Diwan has attempted to establish a relation between the “Road Feet and Man.” In a tęte-ŕ-tęte with the artist, new aspects of the medium of photography got highlighted.
Question: Why did you choose the title “Wheel to Time”?
Answer: I was deeply influenced by the Indian philosophical concept of “kaal charka”, the eternity of time and the role that a wheel plays in a man’s process of growth and development. Also, the combination of the three elements – the track, the feet and the individual – provide a fascinating subject for a visual presentation. Time here is not confined to the realms of periods of chronology. It is not specific in its dimensions. Hence, the title.
Q: Does the place and the person affect the disposition of one’s work?
A: Yes, certainly. These pictures have been shot in two different continents, Europe and America. Both places in their respective manner determine the philosophy behind my work and this then gets combined with the individual’s own cultural rooting.
Q: In the photo colour technique that you have used this time, is there anything in particular that you intend to say?
A: Well, the yellow tint in these frames or for that matter any type that I have used in the past too, reflects the mood of my work
Q: How is this show different from your previous displays?
A: Not really, in the sense that there is a continuation of the theme. I am still revolving around humans only, but this time their mobility is what I am trying to emphasize through these images. However, the show also reflects another aspect of my personality and this is integral to any presentation of mine.
Q: What is paramount to you as an artist?
A: That is a tough one to answer, but I’ll try. I would like the viewer to take back with him an idea or a single thought from the display that he enjoys and cherishes for a long time. My work unfolds like a classical “raga”, an “alaap”, you might say. For me, art is much more than mere visual representation of beauty as one perceives. It has to be greatly substantiated with meaning and conceptual essence. Art must be novel and aesthetically relevant in order to remain contextual and appealing for those who are responsive to it.
Q: What exactly do you look for while taking a picture?
A: The subject is defined always prior to my undertaking any project. As an artist I do not cater to a seller’s market. I create art to suit my own reflections on life and people.
The exhibition, “Wheel of time”, is on till January 2.
