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‘All in the same boat’ in mixed media by Subodh Gupta. 8 THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN BORN HERE, THEY MAY NOT BELONG HERE Live. BUT THIS IS HOME AS THEIR HEART BEatS HERE AND SO DOES THEIR ART. RAJESH PUNJ SEES THE CITIES OF DELHI, MUMBAI, Love. LAHORE, DHAKA AND KERALA THROUGH THE EYES OF EIGHT LEADING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS. Looking at Mumbai landscape, Art. Hema Upadhyay created ‘Think left, Drawing inspiration from Lahore, Think right, Think low, Think tight’. Mariyam Arif’s work ‘Flight in Reflection II’. ARIYAM ARIF M cityscape always leaves an indelible imprint of itself upon the practices of its inhabitants. Y OF S Acting as the architectonic cradle for the crowd, the modern city expands and contracts like a living organ—cajoling and inspiring its inhabitants in equal measure. And for those artists residing in the city, once they have sucked in the energy of the crowd, inhaled the industrious L A atmosphere, and indulged in make-shift cuisine; they are open to all kinds of magnificent ER & WIRTH; COURTE S experiences that shape and shift their art in equal measure. Finding inspiration in almost every EE & LA AU J H detail of life in a city, eight artists who eat, love and breathe art speak of it. HATTER C Sahej Rahal’s work ‘Clarion II’, 2013 in wood, plastic, L AND coated iron, polyester fur, and condensed PVC. RAHA J AHE GUTIÉRREZ/ SUBODH GUPTA AND S É LUI S EMA UPADHYAY; S H BY RAJESH PUNJ FROM TOP: FROM TOP: JO 00 SEPTEMBER 2014 TRAVEL+LEISURE TRAVEL+LEISURE SEPTEMBER 2014 00 “ALL THEMES OF LIFE AND EMOTIONS PLAY OUT HERE IN FULL VOLUME” → Mumbai’s iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus proved as an inspiration for artist Jitish Kallat’s 2006-2007 Rickshawpolis paintings. In this, the glorious coloured gargoyles rooted to the base of the painting, were inspired by the architectural details of the iconic train station. Kallat is renowned for having trodden a well-worn path in the city with his compact camera—capturing street-scenes, gazing up at the scaled heights of Bollywood billboards, while basking in the warm light of the day. “I often say that the city streets “ THE CITY are my university. One finds all the themes of OF MADNESS ” life and art, pain, happiness, anger, violence and For artist Sahej compassion, played out here in full volume.” Rahal, Mumbai is always on the "SIMPLE FOOD, AND I’m verY HAPPY" ‘Making call’ and ‘Autosarous’ move. “Meetings For contemporary artist Subodh Gupta, are usually at a by artist Jitish Kallat. New Delhi’s government buildings sparked his tea stall during the day, or on interest—that lead to works such as the trains, and Date by date, 2008. And then, the interlocking to live cheek by jowl in India’s industrious once in a while bazaars were where he first encountered epicentre. “Yes, so much of the chaos in my work at someone’s impromptu stainless steel sculptures; made up actually comes from the city. When I work in my house. I’ve made of utensils incongruously piled high, and sold studio in Mumbai, there are lots of elements, of a habit of running around in Andheri cheap. But, for Gupta having a conversation decay, of life, and of chaos. It’s a double-edged at about 5 am, about art is more nurturing with a plate of good condition when you see development in the which is just Indian food. “When I come back after travelling, making—you see growth but decay, you see before the day’s give me simple food, like dal chawal, bhujia and modern skyscrapers but the mushrooming of madness begins. some curry, chicken curry or lamb curry, and slums, etc. And as an artist, I am constantly This is when Pigeons outside the Badshahi you can feel the I’m very happy.” Cooking is at the centre of his confronted with the idea of creativity, and of Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan. city awkwardly well-being, and is clearly reflective of the cultural how the natural elements or conditions affect weaning itself off significance of simple dishes in the city. the manufactured work.” from the night For Upadhyay the unqualified joy of being “Despite of what you might think, an TV Santhosh of Kerala before. And, I “I AM CONStaNTLY CONFRONTED in this city, is the animated pleasure of the light overwhelming sense of spirituality shapes this displayed ‘Effigies of Turbulent usually find most WITH THE IDEA OF CREatIVITy” coming into the studio in the morning, the city; and an essence of open-heartedness and Yesteryears’ at the Colombo of the objects I Art Biennale this year. use (in my art) Mumbai-based artist Hema Upadhyay sights cranky car horns puncturing the silence, the hospitality lights the geography of Lahore.” during this time.” the city as an evolutional incubator for life. steady motion of people making their way from Pakistan’s capital city reads like a biblical Her works reflect the circumstances of having one side of the city to the other, passing the tea landscape that is cultivated by a heady mix stand, and the barber’s shop. If the work is made of tradition and technologies. And none of ERY inside, the ideas come from outside. “There is ll that is lost on a new generation of Pakistani something intoxicating about this city, like no studying the arts. Pleasurably Arif mentions the RT GA other. Mumbai provides me with the impetus to A nourishing pleasure of eating and conversing in D constantly experiment and research with material L equal measure. “In particular, I really enjoy the from the city, of ideas born of the city, and spaces ambiance of a small restaurant called ‘Nairang’, HE GUI that preoccupy the city, and of our psychological T which is part restaurant and part gallery, where link with them. Essentially, I want my aesthetics I held my first solo show. Since then almost Y OF to make the viewer deal with multiple emotions S every month I hold a discussion session there simultaneously, creating a dialogue across all to encourage good conversation, which is so OURTE C sections of society.” EN fundamentally a characteristic of Lahorians.” S AMY; “AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF SPIRITUALITY Al “QURESHI IS ENCHANTED BY HIS CITY'S HISTORICAL / HUMAN S S SHAPES THIS CITy” E SIGNIFICANCE AND ITS TIES TO MINIatURE PAINTING” G For Lahore-based photographer Maryam Arif, For Imran Qureshi, Lahore proves to have HE; AN her city “provides the natural balance for my life C an incredible pull on his life as an artist and : as a medic and a photographer, and has proved an academician. Qureshi is convinced of the TOP In Kerala, the air is cleaner, food tastier and conversation sharper, believes TV Santhosh. a major influence upon the simplicity and originality that is prevalent in Lahore; that has candour of my work”. FROM FROM TOP: DBIMA possibly been compromised in Delhi and Mumbai 00 SEPTEMBER 2014 TRAVEL+LEISURE TRAVEL+LEISURE SEPTEMBER 2014 00 The Chhatrapati by the overwhelming burden of commercial Shivaji Terminus, interests. Qureshi is enchanted by his city’s Mumbai. ‘historical significance’ and its ties to ‘miniature painting’. “I cannot live anywhere else.” “I like the way it is growing and spending on land, and not vertically like too many other big cities in the world in the form of skyscrapers. My favourite spot is ‘Jahangir’s tomb’, which is just outside the city. You pass through a very rural neighbourhood, and then reach a peaceful and extremely beautiful Mughal monument. It has an amazing garden and unbelievable quietness, ‘ I LOVE THE a rarity in cities these days.” JUXTAPOSED Qureshi confesses to returning again and again MOOD OF DHAKA’ to Lahore’s appetising bazaars, for their relentless For Dhaka energy and aromatic food. There are also significant photographer sites and sanctuaries that enliven his spirit. “I love Shumon Ahmed to walk around Shag Almeen market in the Rang the city proves to Mahal area and close to the Wazir Khan mosque, be his playground. and I’m always making a pilgrimage to Lawrence “My places of inspiration would gardens, one of my favourite places to go.” be the places I grew up in. Those ‘KERALA IS A CUltURALLY-moTIVatED PLACE’ days, I would New Delhi-based artist TV Santhosh, reflecting sneak out at on his adolescent years in Kerala, draws midnight to walk the length of the attention to the cultural intellectualism with city; and sit on which he works now, and of the undulating a traffic post in charm of being on the coast as a young man. the middle of a “As far as my works are concerned, there is roundabout, (as no specific connection with Kerala in terms though it were his throne); otherwise of cultural nostalgia. But I did live in Kerala congested for 20 years, and I am still well connected; so movies. And, it is true that Kerala has a very high during the day.” there was clearly a lot that formed about my literacy rate and that people are very engaged with For Ahmed it understanding of the world around me during their surroundings.” Such dynamism serves to was the allure my time there and it did matter that Kerala was a illustrate the balance of politics and pragmatism of a deserted cityscape that culturally-motivated place. that is cultivated in his work. For Santhosh there enlivened his I grew up imbibing the intense cultural was also a spirited freedom about being close to the imagination, to atmosphere of the 80s, and watching world-class water, without the inhibitions of industry.+ toy with it as though it were a film-set.

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