Laying a Cable 1983

Nalini Malani made this painting, Laying a Cable, with watercolor, and what strikes me is how the technique itself feels like an act of connection, like the cable being laid. Look at how the colours bleed into one another. The figures are rendered with such fluidity; each stroke is visible, giving the impression of movement and change. The cable they're laying, this thick, black form, is like a visual metaphor for the connections Malani seeks to create in her work. There's a raw, immediate quality to the washes of colour, and the dogs in the background only add to the sense of spontaneity. The way Malani handles the paint reminds me of Francis Picabia, with his interest in process and experimentation. Malani embraces uncertainty, suggesting that art is less about answers and more about the questions we ask along the way.