Mahesh Baliga’s solo at David Zwirner is the first ever by a contemporary Indian artist
Titled ‘Drawn to Remember’, the exhibition explores the pain of the pandemic, while showing glimmers of hope, healing and rebirth of a new world
In Mahesh Baliga’s paintings, his inner and outer worlds collide. As the title of his solo exhibition at David Zwirner in London suggests, every canvas is ‘Drawn to Remember.’ Details of daily life spent in lockdown in Baroda mingle with those of his childhood spent in lush green of Mudbidri in Mangalore in the Western Ghats. The mind is never only in the present, but constantly coloured by the past and visions of the future. “My paintings remind me why I remember something while looking at something else,” he explains.
A tall and melting sundae appears in a painting called ‘Gudbad’, meaning confusion, an ode to the famous ice cream joint of the same name in Mangalore, while the humble banana and papaya fruit tree become the subject of his vibrant still-life works. Animals too are seen going through various emotional states of their own, from a mother and child elephant who seem cosy and comfortable indoors in a painting titled ‘Safe Place’ to domestic animals such as buffaloes and goats who seem to be stuck in their routines.
Human figures — not to forget the artist himself — enter the frame in other paintings. His late mother is seen in ‘Prayer’, and his dear friend and art critic Aveek Sen who passed away in the pandemic is remembered in another painting in which he is found cutting his nails. For Baliga, their loss has left a void. In ‘Coffin Maker’, one of the only three large canvases on display amongst smaller ones, the artist paints himself into the scene, looking sad, gloomy and thoughtless. And yet, with death comes the hope of a creative and spiritual renewal. In works such as the ‘Flowering Self’ and ‘Poet With Ink in His Pocket’, we see a spillage of life.
“Innate emotions of fear, sadness, acceptance, anticipation, and surprise are painted in all their intensity, as are glimmers of joy.”
The titles of his artworks add another layer of meaning. From one-word statements such as ‘Help’, ‘Fountain’, ‘Transfer’, ‘Diversion’, ‘Walk’ and ‘Visitors’ to more symbolic titles such as ‘The Abandoned Dancing Floor’, ‘Trees Whisper to Each Other Whether They Want Roots,’ or ‘Painters Who Talks to Butterflies’, Baliga’s words carry personal and universal meanings at the same time. “Words are like salt, you see, to be used in the right amount. Excess salt could spoil the dish!” he says.
The presentation in the gallery’s Upper Room somewhat resembles Baliga’s solo at Project 88 in Mumbai in 2020, with several of his “lap-sized” paintings hung as a series to suggest the highs and lows which have been depicted within its frames. If you step back and look, it may even seem like a written piece of music or poetry, which have in fact had a profound influence on Baliga.
Inspired by the poems of Kamala Das and A.K. Ramanujan or short stories by some of his favourite authors and artists including Rabindranath Tagore and Bhupen Khakhar, Baliga’s visual grammar is filled with often overlooked and humorous details of small-town life. “I wasn’t much of a reader until I read Pankaj Mishra’s ‘Butter Chicken in Ludhiana’, a book which truly captures how modernity is experienced in the interiors of India,” he shares.
“We have been developing and deepening our engagement in India and the South Asia region over recent years,” says Cristina Vere Nicoll, Director of David Zwirner, one of the leading contemporary art galleries in the world who have built strong relationships with collectors, artists and galleries from the region since they first participated at India Art Fair in New Delhi in 2018. “The current scene in South Asia is very strong, and the range of media that artists are working in, be it painting, sculpture, photography, film or performance, is receiving a great response. That said, India has such a strong legacy of painting, and we have been particularly interested in Baliga’s oeuvre,” she says about the gallery’s decision to show Baliga.
Of his painting technique, Baliga says, “Traditionally, the colour is made earlier, before the painting is begun. But I don’t do that. I mix the colours as I am painting. This different approach helps me to work in a certain way, without limiting myself in the use of colour. It’s as if I start with a premonition of how things will go, but the feeling-world of the painting has its own language, which will not listen to my predictions.” Deep greens and blues of nature and rains signal vitality, while hues of yellow and orange are used to express moments of pain and trauma.
Innate emotions of fear, sadness, acceptance, anticipation, and surprise are painted in all their intensity, as are glimmers of joy. And coming out of the pandemic, Baliga’s exhibition ‘Drawn to Remember’ at David Zwirner marks a new era for Indian art, one with a greater international exchange of artists between galleries in India and abroad.
‘Drawn to Remember’ will be on view from April 12 to May 28 in The Upper Room at David Zwirner in London.
*Published in Architectural Digest Online, May 2022
