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An `I’ for an Eye

Rajesh Pullarwar’s recent solo show at Chatterjee and Lal Gallery, Mumbai reveals a subjective world of the artist who takes a magnifying glass for his muse. Kanchi Mehta catches up with the works and artist.

What if we looked at every object from such a close proximity, that every atom that binds it would be overblown to such a degree, creating an entirely pixilated image? Every pixel appears independent, or fused with another to create an abstract form that has no relevance what so ever with the original object. It obtains an identity of its own. The way newsprint looks through a magnifying glass, where the complexly colored images are only made up of little dots. Rajesh Pullarwars’s solo show at Chatterjee and Lal Gallery was a distinctive visual experience. Each work was similar but unique, through several strata of color applied in various techniques. I was immediately enticed. The longer I looked at a work, the more I discovered.

 “i”

There are so many layers of meaning to this letter. As the title of his show, Pullarwar has related this body of work through a very self-centric process. “…the process itself is my work of art. I am in a trance when I am in the studio…” We sipped some not-very-cold beer at Samovar, and Pullarwar was animated. He transported me back seven years in time, when he came across a magnifying glass that immediately became his muse and the first few works in this series was produced. “My works are experience related. I follow what I understand and feel…”

The evolution of his older work is primarily based on the presence of mind. “…even if I am angry while I am producing a work, I want to be aware of it and observe the process in that frame of mind. This situation can get very tricky for artists. I have to watch the chemical reaction within my body and continuously relate to it.” This practice reflects in his palette, where every work represents a different emotion, mood and process.

Pop Artist Roy Lichtenstein’s magnified comic strips exposed the raw pixels on purpose. An exaggerated concept of illustrations was exaggerated even more by magnifying each frame, or even each pixel. Pullarwar is an artist who strive towards simplicity, “I want to create with what I have around me.”

It excites Pullarwar to not follow the conventional methods of painting. Combining and improvising the traditional practices of screen-printing and painting, the artist functions to create a unique manual process. “Layers and layers of paint are applied on the surface. The process allows colors to show through the layers and play with your mind. The viewer might experience an entirely different emotion” The optical illusion in his work has been simplified by screen-printing a similar pattern of circular forms as the final visual layer.

By “i” Pullarwar wants to throw light on the involvement of his entire being. “I have to love myself before I love others” this eventually becomes a form of meditation. Art is also a growth process for the artist. There has never been any Dogma for the process of creation. Today, boundaries that limit our augmentation are gradually melting as the concept of individualism becomes substantial. An artist like Pullarwar requires only his immediate environment to inspire him. The rest follows as pure energy.