Urban Metaphors
Ashish Kushwaha
Through my paintings, I explore several anecdotes and incidents from the day to day life that are interspersed with a marked surrealist perspective. The elements in each painting are composed meticulously where my mind, subconscious and imagination come together.
I am captivated by my surroundings: concrete jungles, dilapidated structures, rising pillars and changing landscape. The social and environmental aspects of an ever expanding city get emphasized in the works in aesthetically marked manner, as I choose to refrain from making crude depictions of the natural and man-made elements. Based on my personal experiences, both as a rural migrant and as a city dweller, they represent my projections about the not-so-distant future, of rural exodus, urbanization and the result of crowding and dislocation of life.
I am highly fascinated by the power and vitality of urban culture, whether it is a matter of affinity or direct influence. Along with the historical understanding of the unequal development and impact of technological growth, my primary concern is also to unfold objects in nature such as colour, form, and volume, as well as other sensuous and emotive elements. We may or may not understand these elements but we are definitely aware of them. For instance, my experiences are related to the superfluous realities; for me, the power of ‘deity’ lies not in its magical attributes but in the visual rendering.
