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an NGO, or a collective, were eager to take the necessary steps, it would require a lot of effort on their part. When I go to my hometown, I try to be very explicit about this issue, explaining it in my work, always comparing the situation we have in India to that in other countries. Of course, there is always some hope when looking at these issues.


AAN: When you say hope, can you be more specific? PP: Hope in the sense that the situation can be turned around and the site is safe and there is a good atmosphere so people can happily live close-by. Since many of these places are completely surrounded by local inhabitants and farm land, a lot of people move from these abandoned towards the city. Consequently, these places, although not totally abandoned they are clearly not the same, which is not encouraging for people who choose to keep living there.


AAN: Te titles of your works are very intriguing. How do they come about ? PP: My titles come about through a combination of ideas, poetry, literature and the magazines I read. My art titles are sometimes very poetic. I like to have a link between the visual and the title in order to further expand the interpretation.


AAN: In terms of influences, have any artists had a strong impact on your trajectory? PP: Yes, especially Marathi literature which has had a huge impact on me, together with poetry and art history. In terms of literature and poetry, I am always touched by these stories and the way they are depicted,


especially if the writing is based on various metaphors. In addition, I find the writing becomes even more intriguing if it is layered. I am very fond of literature or poetry which has numerous layers, full of meaning and metaphors. Of course, film is sometimes a source of inspiration.


AAN: A number of your earlier works, large wall pieces, have been washed over once the exhibition was closed. Was that a deliberate choice of yours? PP: I have never personally seen my work getting wiped out, or white washed. However, it has never been a problem for me. On another hand, there was a concern as to how to establish a connection between the drawing and the subject I am talking about, because I am also looking at the work as a factor of change. Tere is a constant change in the landscape and I am also creating the landscape and, yet again, it will possibly be wiped out. When I complete a slow-motion animation, I am using the same technique – a day later, say, there is nothing left, but there is a memory of the work, there is a content of the work that is still alive. For me, it is about the memories of the subject and also about the memories of the local people that I am depicting when I make in my drawing.


AAN: Is the fact that the work is ephemeral an essential feature of the piece, or would you prefer to keep a record of it ? PP: So far, a lot of pieces have ended up being ephemeral. However, we managed to save some of my works – which was the case with one of my drawings that I did at Clark House in Bombay, as one of the institutions


wanted to have the work in their collection. Since the work was painted on plywood walls that were over 40 years old (and required renovation), we managed to save part of the work which I was very happy about.


AAN: If 30 years from now your work is the subject of a catalogue raisonné, it may be problematic as to the records concerning earlier works … as so many have been destroyed. PP: Indeed. However, it is very difficult to keep the work because of the kind of scale on which my work is based. Usually, private individuals cannot keep or display such works simply because they are so huge.


AAN: Are some pieces, although they may be very large, nevertheless being acquired ? PP: Works I do on paper, or canvas, can be acquired, but not the wall pieces which I do not sell. Te only way I am considering selling a wall piece is in conjunction with an exhibition, if the institution that was exhibiting my work, for example, wanted to acquire it for their collection. However, if the institution cannot keep the piece, or does not have the space, then it simply disappears.


AAN: Would you consider selling your wall drawings to a private collector, or are the wall drawings just for institutions ? PP: It depends on the circumstances. I have never had the situation where a private individual wanted to have an entire wall drawing – except once – during an exhibition in Glasgow. Sometimes I get asked to recreate a work, but I do not like feel like


5


Flies never infest an egg without cracks (2017), charcoal and acrylic on canvas, about 8 ft x 16 ft


reproducing the same work, this is not an appealing concept to me.


AAN: You have also completed some short animation films. How do they fit into your practice? PP: I have always experimented with the various possibilities involved in making drawings. For example, I projected the shadow of my sculptures on the wall and then did the intervention with drawing. I have also considered how to start with a drawing and turn it into a video, or an animation. I think my drawings and videos connect in two ways: firstly when I was following a different direction in my work and secondly when I was using another technique – a restrictive technique in the animation of my work – in order to make sure the work connected to the subject I was referring to, like mining excavation.


AAN: Is that something you would like to explore further in the future? PP: Yes, I am hoping to develop this technique further. Over the past two


years, I have not made any new animation, because I am trying to think about new possibilities regarding the use of material and the possibility of adding different materials to the animation.


AAN: How did sculpture come into your work and would you like to develop this further? PP: Actually, I studied sculpture for six years and somehow I find there is a sculptural part that often comes into my work. I would like to further develop my work - sculptures and drawing - using this three-dimensional form. Sometimes, when talking about sculpture in general, I find that I connect to, or see, the sight specific element in the piece (as is the case in my sculpture), because when I moved to Bombay I did not have a large studio space to create this type of work. Terefore, I used to draw site-specific objects which is how I came to develop other possibilities. I still feel that in my work there is a strong connection between sculpture and drawing.


OCTOBER 2017 ASIAN ART


Contemporary


Buddhist Mandalas Inspired By Indra’s Jewelled Net


SHIMMERING ZEN BY


JAMES STANFORD


Asian Art in London 2–11 November 2017


selling exhibition


Dealer Open Evening: 4 November 99 Kensington Church Street, London W8 7LN


book launch


The London Library: 3 November 14 St James’s Square , London SW1Y 4LG


For an invitation to the book launch: RSVP@LondonLibrary.co.uk


For other enquiries:


Info@ShimmeringZen.com Tel. 001 702 254 1019


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