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Bye, bye Bangalore |
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By: Namita Gupta |
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Date:
2008-11-21 |
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Place: Bangalore |
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 He was probably born with a brush in his hand. The dreamlike watercolours on canvas, which he painted with his hands and feet, are still hosted by prominent galleries around the world. Raghava's work also features in corporate and celebrity collections, as well as in the collections of art collectors and investors around the world.
His latest work, Drawn and Quartered, was showcased at the Art Museum Gallery in Colaba, Mumbai. It is a series of four different themes within a collection.
"The first series addresses the relationship between man and his body; the second objectifies youth and female innocence; the third is on power and corruption; and the fourth is on gender and identity," he explains.
"My art shows a progression. In the series I did on Nethra (his wife) the first pieces were portraits. Then, I painted her as not just a face, but as a person of substance. The third part of the series, Wedding in Goa, showed both of us as one body and soul. It was our coming together. I have moved on as an artist," he says.
Keen on examining society and his role in it, he reveals that he is currently working on a performance art piece that explores text messaging and social networking sites. It will combine art, multimedia, installation and performance.
"When I am not painting, I am busy being a dedicated father," insists the artist, whose daughter Rudra is now two months old.
"Nethra and I take turns in looking after Rudra because we don't believe in the concept of hired help. We take turns to massage Rudra and bathe her. I look after her at night, while Nethra handles her during the day," says the doting dad.
Raghava's new art piece consumes all his waking hours.
"I'm still working on this piece and hope to complete it by April 2009 before I leave to New York," he informs.
New York? On holiday? "No, I will be moving to New York. My kind of work has a limited audience in Bangalore, and with changes in the political environment in India, I am not getting enough freedom even in a city like Mumbai," he says.
Determined to look at the bright side of the move, Raghava says he will get to interact with more artists and explore interesting work. "I will be attending a conference of engendered sexual minorities. It seems like there's much excitement ahead," he says.
Wonder what the city's art frat has to say about this big move? |
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