Documenting historical anecdotes, my works are layered with various techniques on multifarious surfaces, taking the subject and its content as the driving force. The juxtaposition of the current with the past, fusing traditional with technological advances, is the essence of my practice. My inspirations find their roots throughout the world in varied sources, contemporary culture stemming from a history of tradition, and inspiration seeping into my work from all facets of life, especially popular imagery.
With the series Warhol and the History of Art, which I have been working on since 2001, I meld my stories with Andy Warhol; the image I worked upon of his, time and time again, stood by me with the mixed media approach I took – mixing digital print/ silkscreen and gouache – merging facets of art history with him. Keen on experimentation, I rework images. giving them a new incarnation to the original artwork, whether drawn from Indian or Western, taking it beyond the lexicon of time and space.
There is an interesting juxtaposition of the old and the new, classical and contemporary, fusing the east and west using gouache, digital, silkscreen, and gold foil, reminiscent of different epochs and their characters. I paint drama, the images I retrace are props or focal elements, motifs that inspire and influence me. They morph into characters that become too specific or vague, losing any complexity or connection to their original genesis.
The surface I work on is a stage on which theatre takes place. I seem to relish a hybrid mix of styles – ranging from impressionist to surrealist, classical to folk, digital to collage, and modern to the style of Indian miniatures. The colours range from vibrant to subdued and the composition and aura of the kitsch work.
The roundels oscillate between fantastical and mythological figures, merging in weightless lines, in a dreamlike state, the infinite realm of diverse characters, colours, flora, fauna, textural and symbolic imagery, change each paradigm from which, the characters stare out at the viewer. In some, anthropomorphic forms stipulate the fantasy of the viewer who then traces the setting for clarity, with each of the works offering a glimpse into a lucid dream.
