TIME VANDAL
What is art? What is “a Painting”? What is “Abstraction”? Can any painted surface be a work of art? And is art “art” only when an “artist” does it? So, who or what is an artist?
These are questions & doubts of a self-taught artist like me. And, the whole process of finding these answers ends at a canvas. And then, every end somehow leads to a new beginning. My works in this show are about this whole journey/transition.
I am fascinated by all the painted/printed surfaces in the spaces around us- walls, hoardings, posters, signs, posters, billboards, shops, malls, vehicles, temples, shrines,etc. Ordinarily, they are a huge info-matrix and jumble of sub-conscious guidelines for all. These are deeply embedded in the mass psyche due to the sheer excess of their existence and high contrast values. Add a lot of dust & carbon compounds, noisy decibels, ostentatious facades and jarring colors, and we have the perfect recipe of the human civilization. End of the story- Roll up the window, turn on the AC & move on.
However, a closer encounter/observation reveals the flip side of the story- spaces within the surfaces, shapes moving within those spaces and so on. An ocean unfolds- Dreams, promises, deals, ambitions and much more preserved in rustic textures, torn paper and chipping paint, nourished ironically by urine along with other forces of Nature.
The whole world instantly transforms into a living museum constantly being modified! And, there is the Time Vandal resuming the balance in perfect sync with Mother Nature! Time Vandal works through the layers in a very subtle and gradual manner. The slow erosion takes place very much like that in Nature. And, is as flawless and magical. And, when one cycle is complete, a new layer of primer arrives. Another message, another superstar, another advert, another ambition...
We are living in this strange transition- new versions & replacements keep arriving with the blink of an eye- 100% New. Guaranteed New. Now Upgraded. For the First time. Original since. Now with fruit extracts. With Power Boosters. With Intel Core Gazillion Duo. Quadro. Infinito. Mumble. Jumble. Gibberish.
Like a digital screen, the pixels keep disintegrating and rearranging. Maybe it is the flaw of Our Operating System, which blinds & binds us in a race. Maybe its the drawback to being the highest in the chain of evolution. Maybe, it is just plain boredom with high curiosity level. Maybe, we have attention problem. Maybe, it is an insatiable hunger. Whatever it maybe, this is the System.
And, there is Time Vandal.
I am an imitator, a manipulator & a great fan. What the Vandal does, I try to recreate the same in my works. While in actuality, these surfaces take ages to process, I on the other hand do it almost instantly. My paintings depict Time and its effects, and are factory made in a rather systematic manner. SO I SHOW THE DESTRUCTION THROUGH CREATION.
Further, I ornate/beautify these with glitters & crystals. It is an ode to our childhood- to all those shapes & fairy creatures that we used to see on the walls & in the clouds.
I am adding vanity to your daily “Spit on me” wall.
The canvas is like a fresh wall and my studio is Time Vandal's factory. IN AN ERA OBSESSED WITH BOTOX, WE SPECIALIZE IN THE AGING EFFECT!
