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If development is the key to success, then the evocative graphic art of Manish Sharma questions the cost that man is willing to pay for it. Showcasing the disintegration of culture and tradition, Sharma’s art uses metaphor, a carefully chosen colour palette and a great deal of symbolism to make its point. MARWAR converses with this young Bikaner-based artist and comes away with a keener perspective.
Text: Heer Paresh Koththari and Nirati Agarwal
titled ‘My Lost Memories’. “This is a series of works inspired by my response to the rapid changes brought about by globalisation, especially its impact on developing cities,” he explains. In his large canvasses, up to 8 x 6 feet in size, Sharma portrays everyday objects in a larger-than-life style. Objects like the empty photo frames and the light from the lampposts symbolically reflect the void that remains behind. “We own a small haveli in Rampuria, and where I remember 1000 havelis in this area in the past, after destruction and vandalism, there are only 200 left today. I draw from my memory of these places since I have spent my childhood here, and they have impacted me the most,” he explains.
Lost symbols
In his recent showing at the Viewing Room art gallery in Mumbai, his three and a half feet fibre glass installation titled The Loot garnered appreciation. The bright and bold, red car is filled with vintage objects (with 24 carat gold leafing) like carved chairs, gramophones and marble phooldans, and it juxtaposes modern sensibilities with old values. “The gold on the object signifies the value of these objects. All of this is loaded onto a red truck, signifying the powerful and the degenerate who loot valuables and yet receive red carpet treatment,” he explains.
His larger installations, which can be around 15-20 feet in size, feature similar irreplaceable objects that are almost suspended over the viewer in order to emphasise their loss of context. “I want to portray their shift after they are
titled ‘My Lost Memories’. “This is a series of works inspired by my response to the rapid changes brought about by globalisation, especially its impact on developing cities,” he explains. In his large canvasses, up to 8 x 6 feet in size, Sharma portrays everyday objects in a larger-than-life style. Objects like the empty photo frames and the light from the lampposts symbolically reflect the void that remains behind. “We own a small haveli in Rampuria, and where I remember 1000 havelis in this area in the past, after destruction and vandalism, there are only 200 left today. I draw from my memory of these places since I have spent my childhood here, and they have impacted me the most,” he explains.
