ARTIST NOTE

I was born in Delhi and have been living here since then and yet have never seen Delhi being silent. In this crowded city I always found myself alone and would only find solace and peace inside the buildings which I have created in my paintings. Whenever I look out of the window of my house I see the congested area and no sign of peace for which I long. Hence, the paintings project an imagery of mystical landscape whose creation itself is an intensive way to commute with my dream city.

In my childhood days, I used to marvel at the ‘top view’ of the buildings, unlike other kids who found themselves being fascinated by clouds, birds etc. This fascination to the structural quality of these brick structures first emerged in a visual form during the 1st year of BFA and since then, these imitative drawings has evolved in a way to become an intrinsic part of my visual language. This gradual shift from being secondary element to primary, now roots deeper in my conscience and my search for solace has lead me to draw a conjoint between the present city and past objects, the objects that I used to ponder in my childhood and have become a memory now, I long for these objects as much I long for the solitude in present time and hence my painting is a conscious attempt to attain both.

The monochromatically painted works replicates the present(city) with the past(memories) by introducing colored imagery only in the object. Sometimes the city adheres the object and other time the city has been lived through the framed contour of the object. The mystical composition is also a dialogue for the existence of memories and past objects in relation to present times. The works “Time Worn”, “Typewriter” and “The Time Capsule” are some of this kind. My explorations also include collecting and using found objects on 2-D surface, creating installation and using kinetic objects to enhance the viewers engagement with the artwork.