What I Gathered From Mumbai

Art is more than a passion , it’s a way of life. I strongly believe art imitates life and life imitates art. My technique, attempts to diminish as well as integrate the academic restrictions of sculpture, painting, installations and printmaking. The subject matter is what I usually assimilate during travels and further develops them in the process. The mediums are varied and I love to use tactile materials that contribute in creating visual texture and interest. 

The current series, ‘What I Gathered From Mumbai’, is a collection of dynamic thoughts that the city leaves me with after every visit. It’s based on the perception and interpretation of the city by a regular visitor. It’s a city like no other, the balance that it strikes beautifully and seamlessly within its apparent chaos is beautiful to witness. What is said about Mumbai, ‘that it’s a city that never sleeps’, couldn’t have been more true. What has personally fascinated me has been the co-existence of life in every form, be it economically, culturally, religiously or socially, to top it all the warmth of the people magnifies the overall appeal and experience.

The first work from the series has been divided into 10 parts in two vertical sets, each set represents what I felt. For instance the first two block represent what a ‘Mumbaikar’ would wish to see outside their windows, whereas, on the contrary the residents end up seeing,  the cluttered housing societies as shown in the last two canvases. The other canvases show the industrial representation with the help of angular shaped canvases, the yellow ones in their glory of production whereas the grey pieced canvases  show the abandoned factories that one can spot in major parts of the city. The second set shows the geographical- artistic  representation of a fragment of the city. 

In the second work, symbolically , I have attempted to capture the housing societies, that mushroom in pockets all across the city. The yellow and black combination, is synonymous with the taxis or ‘Kaali- Peeli’ taxis, which one notices the moment they arrive in the city. The juxtaposition of right-angled canvases on plane canvas brings the visual texture and interest and also signifies, the physical appearance and existence of these shanties. But what’s more appealing is the synchronicity and ease with which they function, like a well oiled machine or else, one can say, it also resembles a living organism, which organically  grows and develops at the same time, while assimilating its surroundings. The main qualities of the work are movement and balance, which enables every viewer to have a unique interaction and experience with the work, since everyone’s eye will perceive the work in different ways.

The work is always in progress and the current series will develop in terms of visual language and scale in the time to come. It will include more forms, since I intend to make installations and integrate them along the display. Furthermore more mediums and found objects from site will also find way in the visual amalgamation.

Sukriti Datt