Social currents and urban life are at the centre of Gigi Scaria’s multiform art
A series of sculptures, drawings and videos created in recent years by artist Gigi Scaria is displayed at his ongoing solo show in Delhi. The artworks are steeped in symbolism and constitute a commentary on urban life, writes
with different standpoints. Now as we know that ‘Ringa Ringa Roses’ is used as a nursery rhyme but it has a dark history. It also refers to the plague in Europe which killed numerous people after World War II. For me, all these women are Indians belonging to different communities who are supporting each other in difficult times,” he says.
Scaria draws upon the narrative tradition of art history in his work. “One can find this narrative style in the paintings of acclaimed artists like Bhupen Khakhar, Sudhir Patwardhan and Gulam Mohammed Sheikh,” says the artist. Looking at the way Scaria places and designs sculptures, he comes across as a narrator who leaves his stories open-ended.
For instance, see another of his bronze sculptures, titled Human Pull. This artwork appears like a Dahi Handi scene often seen during Ganesh Visarjan in various parts of the country. The figure of a man on the top has one angelic wing attached to him, and there is no vessel for him to smash down. Scaria says, “Human beings do so much effort to reach the top but what if they find nothing at the top. They are sometimes just trying to grasp the emptiness. All these ideas are my own anxieties and my own personal issues which are actually reflecting through images.”
“How do you as an artist address those self-doubts and anxieties?” I ask him.
“You are probably apprehensive about what you are doing, especially in the arts. There is no fixed outcome. I think I address the issues with continuous work. There is always an element of selfcritiquing and self-pitying, which are part of human nature. But the moment you are into such a creative process you are actually out of it all.” The show is on view at Delhi’s Vadehra Art Gallery till 24 November