Important Notice

"I have no apology for my repetition of the form of the bindu. With repetition you gain energy and intensity - as is gained through the japmala, or the repetition of a word or a syllable until you achieve a state of elevated consciousness." - S H Raza

Raza and the Bindu are by now, synonymous. Kundalini, painted in 1996, is a bold and mature work with a black Bindu dominating the centre of the painting. For the artist,... "I have no apology for my repetition of the form of the bindu. With repetition you gain energy and intensity - as is gained through the japmala, or the repetition of a word or a syllable until you achieve a state of elevated consciousness." - S H Raza

Raza and the Bindu are by now, synonymous. Kundalini, painted in 1996, is a bold and mature work with a black Bindu dominating the centre of the painting. For the artist, the Bindu represents the primordial symbol of energy, "a point, which could be enlarged to a circle-one of the most significant geometrical forms." (The artist quoted in Geeti Sen, Bindu: Space and Time in Raza's Vision, New Delhi: Media Transasia India Ltd., p. 126)

The Bindu was the basis for a transformation in the artist's career in the late '70s, where his paintings transitioned from gestural works into geometric abstraction. The inspiration behind the Bindu came partly from his "preoccupation with formal order" and geometry, in which he experimented with variations of "the point, the line, the diagonal, the triangle, the square and the circle," in addition to exploring nature and spirituality. "Eventually, these experiments led him to a resolution where these two preoccupations merged, one into the other." (Sen, p. 134) Raza explains, "For me at that initial stage, bindu not only represented the primordial symbol or the seed. It also represented for me a point, which could be enlarged to a circle - one of the most significant geometrical forms." (the artist quoted in Sen, p. 126)

Raza uses geometric shapes to denote the cosmos and its constituent components. The circle forms the central element in this expression and is the essence of life. Raza's work delves deep into Hindu philosophy and metaphysics. In some holy scriptures such as the Upanishads, different geometric forms denote specific elements such as water, earth, air and fire, which form the basis of all life and creation. All elements of Raza's exploration come into play in the present lot, in which the black Bindu is contained within the centre by colourful, radiating circles. Raza invokes the panchatattvas or the five elements of nature, each represented by a single colour. Raza states, "With the bindu, I discovered that a whole series of different climates of thought can be created... I have interpreted the universe in terms of five primary colours: black, white, red, blue and yellow." (The artist quoted in Sen, p. 127)

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