Artist uses wooden-horse from childhood to introspect

A city-based artist has immortalised her favourite toy from childhood - the wooden horse - on her canvas as she explores a range of emotions defining an individual's life.
Contemporary artist Manu Singh in her solo show titled, 'Wooden Horse - A Self Portrait' attempts to examine the concept of the self, which she feels, aims to strive for perfection based on societal standards, self-doubt, an inadvertent fear of rejection as well as the yearning for genuine happiness, to achieve a state of contentment.
For her, the wooden horse from her childhood, was omnipotent and represented "all kinds of powers".

"He could fly and swim...There was nothing he couldn't do. He wasn't limited by the restrictions that we adults place upon ourselves.
"It represents me and my feelings. The exhibition is symbolic of the monotonous existence of the protagonist against the extraordinary circumstances," Singh told PTI.
The series, which took three years to be completed, is an outcome of a commissioned project for which she was asked to paint for a children's charity show.

"I was reminded of my childhood companion the wooden horse, on which I would travel to different magical destinations!" she said.
According to Singh, who has showcased integral human emotions of hope, love, achievement in her works, it is important for adults to leave behind negative thoughts coloured by jealousy, greed and pessimism and move forward in their lives.

"As adults, often our key emotions such as love, appreciation and kindness are coloured by self-limiting beliefs like jealousy, the fear of rejection.
"My paintings, which portray the wooden horse, symbolising the self, against backdrops of sky, ocean or even the earth, give a sense of vastness. It is a call for people to introspect and let go of the negative feelings," Singh said.
In one of her paintings titled, 'Nailed Shadow' she explores the pain of being associated with a distressing reality and comments on how the human mind perceives a situation to be larger than what it really is.

The artist has a style of her own, particularly in the use of colours, that sets her apart from her contemporaries. She also experiments extensively with different media to render fresh textures to her artworks.
The show underway at Triveni Kala Sangam here is set to continue till December 10.