Going with his Basel instinct

The world of art is abuzz with excitement. The 41st edition of Art Basel is to take place in Basel, Switzerland, from June 16 to June 20. As the world's premier art show, it will have more than 300 galleries from 36 countries showing works by over 2,500 artists. Indian artists too will join the international talents. Nature Morte art gallery is to show artist T V Santhosh's work at this years exhibition. Santhosh tells CS all about his art making an international presence:


PIC/ NIMESH DAVE

Around the world
It feels good that my work will be shown at such a highly respected art fair. All the big galleries will be showing their works and so it is a great opportunity to see the work of other artists. The selection criteria is strict and it is difficult to get short-listed. Such fairs are also a great medium to connect with the international art scene -- art curators, collectors and artists.

Art from the heart
I'll be showing a canvas painting at the fair. It is yet to be titled as I'm giving some finishing touches. But yes, it is an extension of what I have been doing till now. My subject has always been global current affairs with violence playing a major role.
My paintings look like solarised images in red, yellow and electric green. I paint first and I title the work later. I remember doing a few paintings on terrorism, even before the 26/11 attacks took place. Post the terror attacks, my paintings got a new identity and context.

Tracking terror
I like to investigate the history of war; explore the political implications. It is only through the media that we get to look at global politics, we don't have first-hand knowledge. And so my paintings question why there is so much violence around us, what are the motives behind an act of terror, the process, strategies, the target and so on. It is a philosophical inquiry of why humanity is creating terror.u00a0