PURVA MIDNAPUR

SUMAN CHANDRA, 28

“Not East Midnapur,” Suman Chandra corrects me. “I come from a town in Purva Midnapur.”

The winner of the first prize is a true son of the soil whose larger than life work covers almost the entire screen of the erstwhile Gem cinema hall. Suman describes his work as a “coal mine landscape that’s human-made”. He adds, “It’s an ironical representation of development in the world we live in. In the name of development, we are constantly changing our environment and not caring about it.”

HOWRAH

“I WAS TAUGHT THAT CREATIVITY ALWAYS HOLDS A MIRROR TO SOCIETY”

SUBHANKAR BAG, 28

Subhankar Bag is a talker. “My work depicts an artist’s journey,” says the Merit Award winner. “At first glance, each piece looks like studio furniture, but when you look closely, you’ll see that the chair is not a chair. It’s artistic ambiguity which I’ve tried to create through a visual language. I’ve called it ‘Afterthoughts’.” Is there a message he’s trying to put out? “Not specifically,” he says. “But if you notice the tooth-like tusk, the size and use of materials and the negotiation between the objects, you could get a political message and have subtle realisations.”

What’s the message in your art? “We know what’s wrong, we know the politics involved, yet we ignore it. We should look deeper,” he says.

Must art always have a social message? “Not always,” he says. “But when I was young, I was taught that creativity always holds a mirror to society.”

His take on social media? “It’s an important part of our lives. During the lockdown, we saw the world through it.”

“IF YOU ARE AFFECTED BY SOMETHING, IT WILL REFLECT IN YOUR WORK”

Is it important for art to convey a political statement? “An artist does not always try to make a political statement,” says Subhankar. “But as a human being, if you are affected by something, it will reflect in your work.”

Is social media a platform or a distraction? “A lot of important information comes through it. It affects our moods and mindsets. So we should use it to our advantage.”