Seema Sharma Shah, a graphic artist, has taken printmaking in Nepal to greater heights. Her works at the solo exhibition Mystical Song at Park Gallery, Lajimpat, showcases the full dimension of her artistic ability through etchings.

Seema's earlier prints dealt with nature where she presented the pantheistic view. She explored primitive mysteries, hidden truths and primal fears using a crude formal vocabulary of line and flat simplified shapes in which the rhythm of composition, form and colour is created through two-dimensional abstraction. This created harmony and unified the artwork.

She has moved into a new domain of creative experience as she explores the female psyche from various perspectives. What does it mean to be a woman? What is her relationship with the society? To her family? To her self? Here again, she relies on the two-dimensional qualities of line and colour as a means of suggesting mood and meaning while retaining a semblance of reality, her primary emphasis being on form.

This solo exhibition of Seema's works is a vision of the mystery of life and its spiritual consciousness. She draws attention to universal mysteries and the incomprehensive power of various Hindu mythical gods and goddesses. Surrealism and dreamlike imagery, in some of her art pieces, defies fixed interpretation and reflects the inexplicable spiritual realm of the subconscious.

The crude vocabulary of line and simplified shapes of her Nature series assumes a sophisticated dimension. She moves from two-dimensional abstraction to nearly three-dimensional abstraction, revealing the poetic quality of her creative process. The pervasive mood of solitude of her series on women gives way to spiritual serenity and mystical joy and the muted colours of her earlier works are replaced by brighter shades.

This exhibition of hers marks a culmination in her artistic career where she has overcome challenges posed by the medium. She etches questions that haunt the viewer. The thematic concern is reflected by the effortless dynamics of creative tension.

Shailendra Kumar Singh