Thursday, March 28, 2024

News Destination For The Global Indian Community

News Destination For The Global Indian Community

ART & FASHION
LifeMag
Sitaram Swain: “Urbanization is best portrayed through beauty”

Sitaram Swain: “Urbanization is best portrayed through beauty”

Cement as an art material has so far been seen in sculptures and 3D installations but artist Sitaram Swain has brought it into paintings by making it into a pigment.

“It is a completely new material to the practice. I have not seen anyone else using cement for painting material. Transferring it into a pigment to make paintings is very new practice,” he said.

And what better material than cement when trying to tell a tale of the claustrophobic nature of urbanisation. However, Swain has used beauty to portray the concrete world we live in rather than stick to a negative visual representation. Apart from the greys and blacks there are bright greens and  blues that denote foliage and sky as well.

“Cement itself carries a narrative of urbanisation as it is the main element to make any building or structure. The narrative and history of urbanisation is within the material itself so I don’t need to narrate anything. Narrative artwork is always about a historical element normally but I want to focus on the present and alive things in my surroundings,” he said.

He was recently at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland having won the  ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ 2017. His solo show Grey Areas showcased artworks that he was inspired to create during and post his residency.

His aesthetic sense comes from his native place, Odisha. So, temple architecture and beautiful stone encarvings,  and the whole range of craftsmanship is very rooted within me. My artworks have foliage and skylines painted with the cement, which is inherently within me from the place I grew up,” he said.

While in Scotland, its sublimity, the beautiful sky and flora influenced him. “It changed a lot within me. Change is visible in the work I created post the residency,” he said. The chief takeaway for him surprisingly was the sky. “Whether Scotland or India, wherever I go it is the same sky that connects humanity,” he said.

Urbanisation has become an important subject in the contemporary art space. “We are all surrounded by concrete structures. What is different in my practice is that urbanisation, which can be alienating, has been taken to a personal level. I address food habits of urban people and you will see the imaged of a skin printed onto the works. The skin images come from me and my family members. I also portray how people are living in urban areas and how humanity is visible in a claustrophobic way in the city. However, I use beauty to showcase these problems since craftsmanship has been inherent to my growing up,” he said.

The young artist defines his works as simplified and minimalist. He uses lines, grids and geometrical shapes, which are common elements in urban places, like circles, semi-circles and rectangular elements.

“Glenfiddich celebrates innovation and experimentation across the world. Since 2002, the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence has been a globally recognised programme, where every year artists are selected based on their talent and maverick spirit, which is at the heart of Glenfiddich. It is our constant endeavor to encourage artists such as Sitaram Swain with this unique and experimental platform,” said Payal Nijhawan, head of marketing, William Grant & Sons India.

(The show will be on view till January 5th.)

Writer: Asmita Sarkar

Courtesy: The Pioneer

Sitaram Swain: “Urbanization is best portrayed through beauty”

Sitaram Swain: “Urbanization is best portrayed through beauty”

Cement as an art material has so far been seen in sculptures and 3D installations but artist Sitaram Swain has brought it into paintings by making it into a pigment.

“It is a completely new material to the practice. I have not seen anyone else using cement for painting material. Transferring it into a pigment to make paintings is very new practice,” he said.

And what better material than cement when trying to tell a tale of the claustrophobic nature of urbanisation. However, Swain has used beauty to portray the concrete world we live in rather than stick to a negative visual representation. Apart from the greys and blacks there are bright greens and  blues that denote foliage and sky as well.

“Cement itself carries a narrative of urbanisation as it is the main element to make any building or structure. The narrative and history of urbanisation is within the material itself so I don’t need to narrate anything. Narrative artwork is always about a historical element normally but I want to focus on the present and alive things in my surroundings,” he said.

He was recently at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland having won the  ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ 2017. His solo show Grey Areas showcased artworks that he was inspired to create during and post his residency.

His aesthetic sense comes from his native place, Odisha. So, temple architecture and beautiful stone encarvings,  and the whole range of craftsmanship is very rooted within me. My artworks have foliage and skylines painted with the cement, which is inherently within me from the place I grew up,” he said.

While in Scotland, its sublimity, the beautiful sky and flora influenced him. “It changed a lot within me. Change is visible in the work I created post the residency,” he said. The chief takeaway for him surprisingly was the sky. “Whether Scotland or India, wherever I go it is the same sky that connects humanity,” he said.

Urbanisation has become an important subject in the contemporary art space. “We are all surrounded by concrete structures. What is different in my practice is that urbanisation, which can be alienating, has been taken to a personal level. I address food habits of urban people and you will see the imaged of a skin printed onto the works. The skin images come from me and my family members. I also portray how people are living in urban areas and how humanity is visible in a claustrophobic way in the city. However, I use beauty to showcase these problems since craftsmanship has been inherent to my growing up,” he said.

The young artist defines his works as simplified and minimalist. He uses lines, grids and geometrical shapes, which are common elements in urban places, like circles, semi-circles and rectangular elements.

“Glenfiddich celebrates innovation and experimentation across the world. Since 2002, the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence has been a globally recognised programme, where every year artists are selected based on their talent and maverick spirit, which is at the heart of Glenfiddich. It is our constant endeavor to encourage artists such as Sitaram Swain with this unique and experimental platform,” said Payal Nijhawan, head of marketing, William Grant & Sons India.

(The show will be on view till January 5th.)

Writer: Asmita Sarkar

Courtesy: The Pioneer

Leave a comment

Comments (0)

Related Articles

Opinion Express TV

Shapoorji Pallonji

SUNGROW

GOVNEXT INDIA FOUNDATION

CAMBIUM NETWORKS TECHNOLOGY

Opinion Express Magazine