A childhood lived in a village is always inspiring. Only here can you be one with nature. When you run you feel fresh air against your face, leaves and branches against your body and the earth under your feet. The first lesson you learn is RESPECT.
The women from my family and neighborhood sculpted shapes and structures from clay and cow dung. My friends and I often tried to emulate them and ended up creating little sculptures of our own made of discarded pieces of rubber, wrappers, newspaper and anything else that I could get my hands on.
My fascination with the unused followed me into adulthood and became a major part of my work as an art director. A decade later, I wanted to create my own installations. An adventure was born from the simple philosophy to evoke the ‘uncommon’ through ‘common’ for the ‘common.’ People like Anish Kapoor , Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore and Andy Goldsworthy have inspired me greatly. A visit to the Tate Modern Art Gallery in London further widened my perspective.
Over the years, I have created numerous installations all over India. Waste management, recycling and green living are my primary themes and methods when it comes to installations. In 2016, I created an installation in Miami with fellow artists. I feel my journey has just begun and I aim to work as an artist and spread the message of green, nature-integrated living all around the world.
Fallen Horse
This was created for the Hindi film ‘Fitoor’. It is a rarity, almost an absurd aberration to see a fallen horse. That was the inherent idea behind its creation. This sculpture reflected modern day society and its shortcomings. Its ambiguities and failures. It is currently in Krakow, Poland.
Pegasus
I was inspired by the idea of a Pegasus since my introduction and associated it personally with it as a source of power and infinite grace. I was able to create one as an artist during the Matheran Green festival.
Weeping Tree
This installation was born out of my lifelong pain and empathy for trees. My entire life went by as a spectator to hundreds of tress being cut for man’s sole gain.. My own helplessness, indifference and denial prompted me to express it through art.
Jobs
This installation was my tribute to the heroes and innovators from around the world in the field of technology and the moral and ethically responsible use of it.
Kapala, Kalaghoda Art Festival : 2013
It was a statement for the modern generation that was in an intimate relationship with technology without thinking about the aftermath. Kapala or the skull always fascinated me considering the effect it had on people at a collective level. And thus my installation ‘Kapala’ became the mascot for the movement of spreading awareness through art …
Totem, Kalagoda Art Festival : 2013
Inspired by the Native American concept, I created my own version during the Kala Ghoda festival in the year 2013. ‘Totem’ expanded my personal philosophy and ideas regarding integrated living. It also included elements from Shamanic tradition and aborigine philosophy. ‘Totem’ was created mostly with organic material.
Bull : 2013
This magnificent creature always fascinated me. The Bull was a symbol of aggression and a unique example of the brutal force of nature. This sculpture was first featured in the Hindi film ‘Heroine’ and later traveled across India, going to numerous festivals including the Kala Ghoda festival.
Peace : Junoon Concert 2012
This statement piece beckoned for a life of harmony and peace between races and nationalities which incidentally coincided with Pakistani band Junoon’s live show in Mumbai.
Warbride, BYOFF Puri : 2012
This installation was one of my earliest ‘green’ installations. The material used was 100 % organic. It served as a backdrop for live acts and as a tribute to mother earth, the mute victim to mankind’s injustice. It was a collaborative effort in which the local artists also participated.
Mermaid: U-Tan Festival : 2011
This installation was an extension of my lifelong passive activism against the use of plastic which, despite several attempts by responsible bodies at various levels, has grown exponentially over the last few decades. This served as a backdrop for one leg of the U-tan festival, a sociocultural meet that I had started with a few …
Cosmos, Lokhandwala : 2011
‘Water’ has been a deeply personal theme for me. I expressed it for the first time in the year 2011. The installation was created with water and discarded plastic bags. Needless to say, it was one of my most fulfilling endeavours. The installation represented the infinite blue in which we all exist, signifying the importance of …
Buddha, Gateway of India : 2011
Buddha was a life altering experience for me. And that was why I had commenced on this project. It involved the local residents of a slum from Malwani in suburbs of Mumbai, many of whom had never ventured out of the geographical boundaries of that slum. Most of them had small criminal and anti-social backgrounds …