Usherings

Ruxana Pathan

                                               USHERINGS

To me, TIME is an artist, who does not know when to stop...and herein lies the beginning of my odyssey...from the passages of hidden stories, revealed through the scars and wrinkles on an old man's face, the crumbling decaying buildings with antiquated facades, to the peeling of the paint, the weathered wood and the patina of TIME on the face of old doors.

And these Doors...stoic and imposing even in decay, like tired sentinels at their post, guarding without respite or rest. There is something intriguing about old doors and doorways...an aura of mystic that draws you compellingly towards it; a closed door...an open door...a door that’s slightly ajar...they call out to us, to come and discover the mystery of what lies beyond the threshold.

          A door denies us...it admits us...

          It’s an end...it’s the beginning...

          they lead... you follow...

         they disconnect...they connect...

These rhythms of transition and incarnation become a metaphor of human existence; all set in the cities of our realities and imaginations... a fascinating gateway to the human mind.

In Sufism, the word 'Dervish' literally means 'Doorway'. It’s thought to be an entrance from the material into a spiritual, heavenly world.

For me, symbol and reality merge at a point of inner significance. And I now look for these 'doorways of consciousness', as the axis around which my artistic expressions evolve.   ' Doorways'  to a journey of transformation and healing.   It's like a spiritual allegory...where endings are just doorways to new beginnings.

Beginnings that arise like the legendary Shimurg...                       

sometimes from the ashes of yesterday...

sometimes from boundless solitude...

sometimes from a requiem...

sometimes from the conflicts that reside within...

maybe even a sabbatical...

But always an ushering in of the sun’s rays into one's heart…

an ushering in of that which is positive and full of grace…

an ushering in of faith, hope and peace through the dynamics of life assertion...

an ushering in of a spiritual landscape, where flowers bloom into infinity.

As I invite you to experience this exhibition of my painting which I call 'USHERINGS', I humbly hope, that maybe, somewhere, somehow, these paintings will make a call to the muse in all of us, to take this journey of re-connection and self-discovery.

All that it takes is the twist of the door knob.

I dedicate this exhibition of paintings, 'USHERINGS', to my mother Zenab...a beautiful woman...a pure and tall soul...an artist who painted beautiful works...who, even after a life full of strife and struggle and deceptions, never lost her faith in life...who, with her thin, tired body, riddled with pain, is today, unable to walk, sit up on her own, or even hold a spoon or a brush with a firm grip...but even now, as her eyes fill up with a smile, she knows that she will walk again and paint again...who has more faith and purity and beauty than ever before...as she reaches out with frail hands to gently hold mine, I am humbled with her 'immenseness'...She is the faith that gave birth to 'USHERING' ...My angel...my mother...Aapa, this is for you.

                                                                                  Ruxana Pathan.

                                                                                 (Mumbai, 2009)