Urbanization, ecology take center stage at Delhi art fest

The Delhi Contemporary Art Week (DCAW), now in its seventh edition, drew in art lovers with its eclectic mix of showpieces, each exploring pressing contemporary themes of ecology and urban development.

Six noted Delhi-based art galleries–Vadehra Art Gallery, Gallery Espace, Latitude 28, Shrine Empire, Blueprint 12, and Exhibit 320–are taking part in this year’s event.

The participating artists used their unique perspectives and creative mediums to explore the complex relationship between humans and the environment.

Rashmimala, a young artist based out of Guwahati, looked at plants whose roots keep the soil intact and not erode so easily, in her artwork titled ‘Ground VI’.

Using natural materials like muslin and techniques such as cyanotype printing and dyeing with natural pigments, Rashmimala consciously chose to make her art more sustainable.

“It’s quite interesting to see how Rashmimala is evolving as an artist because her language seems to be the same, but she is constantly transforming her work into something even more unique, it stands out on its own,” said Satarupa Bhattacharya, a representative of the Gallery Espace.

Walking a few steps into the exhibit put up by Gallery Espace, our eyes were drawn instantly towards Ishita Chakraborty’s ‘Rhizome Notes’.
About 30 or so terracotta pieces are shaped into the underground stem-like structures of the mangrove trees, which hold the soil together.

Chakraborty’s work is again an example of how artists are looking within their culture and exploring the breadth of their knowledge to find new ways to treat an age-old subject.

“Anybody who is making art or talking about art, is talking about sustainability. Material actually ties it together because we are talking about terracotta, we are talking about muslin, but then also about fibreglass, which is not natural and very difficult to work with, but artists still explore what it means to go back to something which is so difficult and dangerous,” said Bhattacharya.

Another installation that caught the attention of many was Sachin George Sebastian’s ‘All things we know, we connect’.

Sebastian’s taxidermist approach towards preserving insects and his fascination with nature’s symmetrical and asymmetrical forms manifested in this composition that described the structures of various insects.

The patterns on these insects represented different cities, rife with personal memories, sensory experiences, and intellectual insights into the physical and emotional connection we share with the urbanized world.

“This is Bangalore, it’s vibrant in color; this is Delhi; this is Gurgaon; this one right here is Noida. Every city I go to, I take pictures of the architecture there and try to incorporate it into my work,” Sebastian said, pointing to the unique prints on various insects.

Inspired by taxidermy, Sebastian explored humanity’s capacity for revival and preservation, even in the face of self-inflicted loss.

“We are the ones who have brought upon the extinction of many of these species, but we are also the ones who are into the habits of taxidermy and preservation of what is lost, so we can look at it later. We have the idea of preserving, but we don’t act upon it while the thing is still alive,” said Sebastian.

Anoli Perera, a Sri Lankan contemporary artist, also tackled the larger issue of urbanization and labor in her installation titled ‘Elevated Utopia,’ which incorporated textile, aluminium, and her drawings of various cityscapes.

“This artwork talks about how people from small towns and villages are drawn to the city when they feel like that is the utopia which will fulfill their dream. But once they’re in the city, they realize that this isn’t the place where they will get to do that,” said Shefali Somani, director of Shrine Empire.

The repetition in the artwork was symbolic of how every city looks the same, lacking any uniqueness, where buildings are stacked on top of one another and built on the backs of hard labor.

“She is also talking about how all across South Asia, there is rampant urbanization with no planning; so she is trying to shine a light on her hometown, with her personal memory,” said Somani.

Noida-based Deepak Kumar’s installation and artworks exhibited by the gallery Exhibit 320 felt like walking into a biology lab, with huge diagrams of the artist’s documentation of Delhi-NCR and its dying ecology.

“Most of Deepak’s work is based on ecology and represents the change in urban terrains. In his work, you can see mappings of the areas where the landscape has changed drastically, or rather, an existing landscape has been demolished and replaced, and the artist questions whether this change is even necessary,” said Prayag Chakradhar, curator of gallery Exhibit 320.

Kumar’s work felt like a scientist’s, where he has focused on the leaves, plants, insects and their natural habitats over the years and how minute changes have come about in the life and forms because of human intervention.

As the world is grappling with the challenges of climate change, pollution, and social inequality, a couple of kids standing outside the main exhibition hall served as a powerful reminder of the role that art can play in fostering dialogue and raising awareness.

Founders of the club Earth Helpers, nine-year-olds Yuvaan Monga and Shivannsh Singhania were excitedly handing out mango tree saplings (in handmade bags) to whoever came and talked to them about the artist they were representing, Manveer, aka Plasticvalla.

“Sustainability is the only way to go, or else our planet will fall. We came across this artist called Plasticvalla, who makes art out of plastic and changes the way we perceive plastic,” said Monga.

“He makes beautiful things out of recycled material and we decided to hold a campaign for that,” said Singhania.

After collecting plastic from door to door for years, Manveer was given the moniker Plasticvalla, and plastic material such as multi-layered plastic (MLP), which cannot be recycled, forms the base of all his art.

“I am connected to more than 200 houses in the Chhatarpur area, where I collect this MLP from and use it in my art, as it is really difficult to recycle. Every element I have used in this artwork before you has a meaning behind it and is fully recycled,” said Manveer.

According to the two 9-year-old Earth Helpers, ‘artivism’ is the way to go.

“We have been here at DCAW before and we just love the way that they show art, and we feel like art is necessary to raise awareness about our planet,” said Monga.

The DCAW will run from 31 August to 4 September at Bikaner House in Delhi.