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Mahesh G

Born in Debur, five kilometers away from Nanjunguda, Mysore District, Kanataka on 10th April 1980, Mahesh G finished his BFA and MFA in painting from CAVA, Mysore. He has been painting from the very childhood. Strongly resembling the language of late Bhupen Khakkar, Mahesh’s own language is quirky, passionate and true to life. He paints the people and incidents from his immediate surroundings and gives them a mythical twist. He creates simple narratives out of the local life and myths. While adhering to the village life, he has a special eye to see what is happening in the urban spaces where he is currently located. He moves around people, culls out information and stories, then tries to translate them into visual codes.

How was Mahesh’s childhood like?

I was born in a small village called Debur. None of my family members were artists. However, I developed a tendency to copy from newspapers, magazines and comic books. I found my own heroes from these images and tried to copy them as they were printed in the magazines. It gave me an immense pleasure. But I was not aware that one day I would take up art as my career. After schooling I joined a PUC college but soon became disillusioned with academics. It was when I realized that I should pursue art education and I joined CAVA, Mysore as a BFA student.

How was his BFA days like?

Like any other BFA student I too was indulged in academic painting, life studies and nature studies. My teachers Ullas Sanjagiri, Ramdas and Upadhyaya helped me to develop my skills. Art history was taught by Vijay Rao and he introduced me to the world of western art history. I took interest in the works of Chaggal, Munch and Brueghel. In general, all the teachers were very helpful.

How did he pursue further studies?

I wanted to do MFA in painting from the Fine Arts Faculty, MS University, Baroda. After BFA, I went to Baroda but could not get admission so I decided to stay back there and work. I rented out a room with some friends and started working. Next year also I could not get admission. I was ready to struggle. So I worked as a freelance artist in Baroda for a year. Once I realized that I need to do my post graduation, I came back to Mysore and joined CAVA again.

How did his visual language develop?

From the very beginning I was interested in watching people. I have always been curious in relationships between people, what bonds them together etc. I started painting these aspects in my works. I enjoy doing a lot of drawings and water colours and these provided me with ample space to experiment with images and themes.

His works have a strong linguistic affinity for late Bhupen Khakkar’s works. What about that?

I am not so conscious about a particular linguistic trait in my works. But of course I am aware of the lineages it has. Bhupen Khakkar treats his themes in a way that is quite peculiar to him. My thematic inclinations are totally different from him. As I said before I look at people and their lives. It gives me a lot of chances to think about visual representation of the same. Some of the images that I develop in my works have strong male presence in them. But for me, they are my own divided self.

Where is he located now and how does it help him?

I stay in Bangalore these days and I like the ambience of this city. I am from a rural background and I see a lot of people with the similar background. I am curious about how they negotiate the urban space with their rural knowledge. My paintings are about these negotiations. I meet a lot of informed friends here and my interactions with them help me a lot in formulating my ideas and paintings.

What does he think about the art market?

This one of the most wonderful things happened to an artist’s life. My works are being collected by several people in Bangalore, Mumbai and Kerala. I have very happy that the money that comes through these deals help me to work more vigorously and freely. Art market with all its problems, I feel is a good thing for a young artist like me.

Where shall we find Mahesh in the coming five years?

In the Indian contemporary art scene only. I am going to be here with more works and more presence.