Untitled 1993

Editor: Here we have Jagdish Swaminathan's 'Untitled' mixed-media work from 1993. I am immediately struck by its textured surface and the muted palette; it almost feels like looking at a weathered map. What's your perspective on this piece? Curator: A weathered map is such an apt description. Swaminathan was deeply engaged with primal forms, folk traditions, and tantric symbolism. To me, this piece hums with echoes of ancient cartography and ritual diagrams. See how the geometric forms seem embedded, almost unearthed? There’s a deliberate rawness in the materials he used, like he’s trying to capture something essential and untamed, and almost dare I say that the geometric patterns show off a deeper cosmic language in our nature. It almost makes you ask if these forms are something found or something discovered. What is it about the texture that drew you in? Editor: It’s that contrast between the coarse texture and those crisp geometric shapes – like finding order in chaos. Did Swaminathan intend to create such a palpable tension, or am I reading too much into it? Curator: Intention is a slippery thing, isn't it? But I feel he *was* playing with the push and pull between control and chance. The Art Informel movement was all about letting go, embracing the unplanned. It's almost as if he wants to hint at deeper truths only through textures, abstract geometry, and colors of earthy origins. Perhaps the most fundamental form that he found in both natural and spiritual language. It's also likely why he called it "Untitled". What I feel it means is he wanted viewers to tap into the essence without any constraints or predefined names. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. I see that contrast more clearly now. The ‘Untitled’ seems less like a missing title and more like an invitation to participate. Curator: Exactly! It's a portal. And it sounds like you're already stepping through! It’s truly a portal that encourages interpretation of cosmic proportions with natural grounding, which to me I am glad that Jagdish allowed.