ANIRBAN MITRA IN FORTUNE MAGAZINE INDIA 2017
Art&Deal Magazine REVIEW BY Sushma Sabnis
Humour of the satirical and the burlesque kind dominates artist Anirban Mitra’s work which thrives on hyper amplified imagery dipping its feet in various streams of life to set off a cannon of visual bombardment. Hitting the viewer with this carnival of colour, thought and diversity, the artist presents his first solo at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, reviews Sushma Sabnis. REVIEW Mumbai Sushma Sabnis
REVIEW
Humour of the satirical and the burlesque kind dominates artist Anirban Mitra’s work which thrives on hyper amplified imagery dipping its feet in various streams of life to set off a cannon of visual bombardment. Hitting the viewer with this carnival of colour, thought and diversity, the artist presents his first solo at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, reviews Sushma Sabnis. REVIEW Mumbai Sushma Sabnis
REVIEW
TICKLING THE BURLESQUE BONE
Sushma Sabnis
(Humour of the satirical and the burlesque kind dominates artist Anirban Mitra’s work which thrives on hyper amplified imagery dipping its feet in various streams of life to set off a cannon of visual bombardment. Hitting the viewer with this carnival of colour, thought and diversity, the artist presents his first solo at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, reviews Sushma Sabnis. REVIEW Mumbai Sushma Sabnis)
The neon orange skinned yakshi of Ajanta gazes at the viewer presenting the roti maker with a puffed up roti implying her fertility, a picture warns the buyer that the colour sticker authenticates an original 99.9% effective bug killer, a newly wed bride with silver scratch and win tags all over her decorated body entices an eager bridegroom. The omnivorous human Bakasura wearing peacock feathers devours everything in sight. Mr Muscle promises domestic excellence and Wonder woman carries pitchers of water for the thirsty. At the onset, the works appear large, colour intense and overflowing with kitschy imagery and motifs which seem disconnected and disjointed. The artist brings in his varied interests, memories and urban experiences to the canvas, building up and constructing images which initially may or may not appear linked. The juxtapositions of these individual motifs which leap out at the viewer come from a plethora of sources. One could find references of history, mythology, art, literature, geography, biology, chemistry, politics, pop culture, advertising and television commercials,m intermingled with childhood experiences and photography of functions, freak shows in circuses and village fairs. When one stands in front of the canvas, the eyes wander rapidly around the numerous things going on simultaneously in the visual. It could be compared to watching a colourful silent movie. As Virginia Woolf says in her essay ‘Language of film and the evils of cinematic adaptations of literature’, “The eye licks it all up instantaneously, and the brain, agreeably titillated, settles down to watch things happening without bestirring itself to think.” Though Anirban’s work initially evokes a benumbing shock of a response, it then spurs the mind into a frenzy of decoding of the visuals. One would then realize that these are not randomly placed isolated bits and pieces to create a mammoth scrap book on canvas, they actually take references from time, space, history, and cultural nuances to weave a complex story. Ironies and analogies masquerade and at times shout out mocking the absurdity of events and situations. This can be seen in the painting, ‘Exhibition of Kalighat Paintings in Victoria Memorial Hall’ where effects and after effects of colonialism are explored. The question is, ‘Who is the outsider, and who is the insider?’ where the artist recalls a show of Kalighat paintings by Indian artists displayed in the Victoria Memorial hall in Kolkata. The paintings interspersed with large marble statues of ex-viceroys of the Raj, looming over like guardians of the paintings which were created in India. The obvious irony is captured in this work, where three British viceroys stand dressed in Roman togas with motifs of prosperity surrounding them. In between these statues is the sprinkling collection of Kalighat paintings, which were taken away as memoirs of the rule when the British left the country. Also in this painting, the gender issues are explored as the country, the feminine, the motherland, being invaded by the men in togas, and how the upkeep of these men is ironically done by a queen who also is seen as the nurturing mother. Observations of the caste and class divide which rubbed off from the British on the well to do Indians are shown as ironic examples from his own family. In another assemblage of photography and art works, the artist puts together the metaphor of marriage and its stability using the images of the very bamboos tied together to construct the marriage pandal. Taking this theme further and infusing it with dichotomies of speed using toy guns with slowness of garden snails, he creates ‘Tower of Babel’ an acrylic on canvas work which is replete with contrasting cliches and opposing motifs addressing the concepts of dominance in a marriage, promoting inequality. Biological diagrams of insides of snails, and deep veined diagrams of leaves imply the lineages of the belief systems, which are unspoken odd compromises adhered to by humankind to maintain a sense of an elusive balance. This is Anirban Mitra’s first solo show and in spite of critiques about his work being ‘too much’, it could be seen as a concerted effort to create with a sense of purpose and hours of extensive research to back it up. However, if this consistency were to be maintained as an art practice, it would require the artist to evolve his expression in some way, to avoid monotony over the years and the risk of becoming graffiti-ish / pop art at best. The artist reveals that he paints what annoys or disturbs him and it is his way to solve the issue through his works. One could see this as a dangerous inspiration, because age can bring in tolerance or an eventual acceptance or worse, indifference. The risk of running out of inspiration would be unfortunate. What one cannot deny is that this artist is one of the few ‘thinking’ artists of our times and what remains to be seen is how his thoughts shape his future work.
The neon orange skinned yakshi of Ajanta gazes at the viewer presenting the roti maker with a puffed up roti implying her fertility, a picture warns the buyer that the colour sticker authenticates an original 99.9% effective bug killer, a newly wed bride with silver scratch and win tags all over her decorated body entices an eager bridegroom. The omnivorous human Bakasura wearing peacock feathers devours everything in sight. Mr Muscle promises domestic excellence and Wonder woman carries pitchers of water for the thirsty. At the onset, the works appear large, colour intense and overflowing with kitschy imagery and motifs which seem disconnected and disjointed. The artist brings in his varied interests, memories and urban experiences to the canvas, building up and constructing images which initially may or may not appear linked. The juxtapositions of these individual motifs which leap out at the viewer come from a plethora of sources. One could find references of history, mythology, art, literature, geography, biology, chemistry, politics, pop culture, advertising and television commercials,m intermingled with childhood experiences and photography of functions, freak shows in circuses and village fairs. When one stands in front of the canvas, the eyes wander rapidly around the numerous things going on simultaneously in the visual. It could be compared to watching a colourful silent movie. As Virginia Woolf says in her essay ‘Language of film and the evils of cinematic adaptations of literature’, “The eye licks it all up instantaneously, and the brain, agreeably titillated, settles down to watch things happening without bestirring itself to think.” Though Anirban’s work initially evokes a benumbing shock of a response, it then spurs the mind into a frenzy of decoding of the visuals. One would then realize that these are not randomly placed isolated bits and pieces to create a mammoth scrap book on canvas, they actually take references from time, space, history, and cultural nuances to weave a complex story. Ironies and analogies masquerade and at times shout out mocking the absurdity of events and situations. This can be seen in the painting, ‘Exhibition of Kalighat Paintings in Victoria Memorial Hall’ where effects and after effects of colonialism are explored. The question is, ‘Who is the outsider, and who is the insider?’ where the artist recalls a show of Kalighat paintings by Indian artists displayed in the Victoria Memorial hall in Kolkata. The paintings interspersed with large marble statues of ex-viceroys of the Raj, looming over like guardians of the paintings which were created in India. The obvious irony is captured in this work, where three British viceroys stand dressed in Roman togas with motifs of prosperity surrounding them. In between these statues is the sprinkling collection of Kalighat paintings, which were taken away as memoirs of the rule when the British left the country. Also in this painting, the gender issues are explored as the country, the feminine, the motherland, being invaded by the men in togas, and how the upkeep of these men is ironically done by a queen who also is seen as the nurturing mother. Observations of the caste and class divide which rubbed off from the British on the well to do Indians are shown as ironic examples from his own family. In another assemblage of photography and art works, the artist puts together the metaphor of marriage and its stability using the images of the very bamboos tied together to construct the marriage pandal. Taking this theme further and infusing it with dichotomies of speed using toy guns with slowness of garden snails, he creates ‘Tower of Babel’ an acrylic on canvas work which is replete with contrasting cliches and opposing motifs addressing the concepts of dominance in a marriage, promoting inequality. Biological diagrams of insides of snails, and deep veined diagrams of leaves imply the lineages of the belief systems, which are unspoken odd compromises adhered to by humankind to maintain a sense of an elusive balance. This is Anirban Mitra’s first solo show and in spite of critiques about his work being ‘too much’, it could be seen as a concerted effort to create with a sense of purpose and hours of extensive research to back it up. However, if this consistency were to be maintained as an art practice, it would require the artist to evolve his expression in some way, to avoid monotony over the years and the risk of becoming graffiti-ish / pop art at best. The artist reveals that he paints what annoys or disturbs him and it is his way to solve the issue through his works. One could see this as a dangerous inspiration, because age can bring in tolerance or an eventual acceptance or worse, indifference. The risk of running out of inspiration would be unfortunate. What one cannot deny is that this artist is one of the few ‘thinking’ artists of our times and what remains to be seen is how his thoughts shape his future work.
http://artanddeal.in/cms/?p=2331
Shivani Bali reviews ANIRBAN MITRA’S DEBUT SOLO AT SAKSHI GALLERY, MUMBAI
Mumbai: Sakshi Gallery is now presenting paintings and photographic collages byAnirban Mitra in his debut solo exhibition Inspecting the Construction (November 7 to December 2, 2013).
Shivani Bali reviews ANIRBAN MITRA’S DEBUT SOLO AT SAKSHI GALLERY, MUMBAI
TO SEE OR NOT TO SEEShivani Bali deciphers the montage of images contained in the works of Anirban Mitra: A rudimentary glance at Anirban Mitra's art works evokes the same sense of intimidation that a novice would experience on conjecture about the notorious Indian Society; owing to the vibrant colours, utter lack of breathing space, confusion and most importantly the immensity of information that both of these have to offer to the keen investigator. The unadorned white walls of the modestly sized Sakshi Art Gallery; purveyor of Mitra's first solo show; complement the vivacity of his humongous canvases. Titled ‘Inspecting the Construction’; this exhibition, curated by Sanyogita Deo and on display from the 9th of November to the 2nd of December, consists of Acrylic-on-Canvas Paintings, Triptychs and Photographs, all of which scrutinize the complex contemporary societal structure of India. On being presented with an overwhelming fusion of such seemingly unrelated elements, painted in vibrant colours that are characteristic of Indian culture, the mind of the viewer is initially ambushed. A chaos manifests and grows until one closely observes the works and interacts with each of its components. In doing so, even the most amateur audience can appreciate the relationships between the plethora of divergent elements; and equally admire the uninhibited yet harmonious use of loud colours.As is revealed in the text accompanying the exhibition, Mitra extensively employs frail bamboo pandals1 (which are a metaphor for the proverbial Indian hierarchy) to question the durability of, and possibly signify an eventual yet inevitable breakdown of society - as we know it. These, along with the snails that are juxtaposed as instruments to examine the social order, are a regular feature in his work. While the combination of religious symbolisms with commercial advertisements may seem casual, through it, the artist successfully expunges the boundaries between what are traditionally believed to be ‘superior’ and ‘inferior’ art forms. His post modernistic approach, though compelling, proves to be more illustrative than judgemental, leaving much room for interpretation. One fascinatingly self-contradictory oeuvre that investigates the nature of India's power structure is The Tower of Babel. At the head of a high bamboo network representing the social ladder stand two great monarchs - Shah Jahan and the Shah of Persia. Embracing each other whilst one without a visage stands on a goat; and the other, on a lion - they represent a lack of uniformity in status between two people in a seemingly similar position.Below this sits an advertisement for Wagh Bakhri Chai;2 that signifies the unification of the weak with the strong or the haves with the have-nots. The illustration in the advertisement involves a tiger and a goat - inherently unequal; drinking tea from the same vessel, denoting equality. The idea of a predator evidently bonding with his prey over a cup of tea may be considered highly pertinent, to a country that believes tea to be a social stimulant. Interestingly, the tagline of this advertisement translates to “Maintaining cordial relations, always.”1 Temporary constructions used at Indian wedding ceremonies. 2 The name of an Indian tea brand that translates to "Tiger Goat tea."
A decontamination of civilization from false power struggles and evil is inventively connoted through the placement of snails (believed to be purifiers of the soil) over plastic guns. Satirically, this elaborate assemblage rests on a temporary bamboo formation.In another, titled Grow More Food (Part 2), Mitra substantiates the popular notion that India is a "land of extremes." The image of Bakasura3 gulping down every morsel of food represents greed. Standing around him are gaunt yellow-orange figures, completely devoid of any nutrition. This contrasting visual evokes the feeling that, a lot like Bakasura - the well-to-do Indian, somewhere along the path of providing for himself, got gluttonous and took more than just his own share. Such a sentiment is further validated by the placement of a harvest tool in the hands of the mighty headless figure, which effectively emphasises the extent to which the food flow of this country can be manipulated by the influential. Almost as if to mock the food crisis and trivialise the suffering of the people, an illustration of FarmVille4 sits sneeringly at the bottom of this otherwise evocative canvas. While the theme of this exposition may be awfully banal to some, Mitra's unique style of articulating and embodying it in his work provides the expert with a fresh perspective and the novice with food for thought. The profundity of the varied symbolisms used in these paintings, however, may be unfathomable to one who lacks elementary knowledge about the Indian lifestyle; so deep rooted are the issues addressed through these seemingly blithe paintings. Bursting with references to the Bengali way of life, Mitra's works reflect his origin and upbringing. Having earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Fine Arts from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharti University, Santiniketan; the artist went on to participate in several prominent group exhibitions at an international level. Throughout this journey, his work has been evidence of his eternal search for inspiration. Right from his backyard in Kolkata that is bustling with snails to television shows such as "Man vs. Food" and the popular Bengali comic, "Batul the Great"; Mitra impartially considers things that most would shrug off as inconsequential, and incorporates them into his creations. Whether the ingenuity in his selection and arrangement of elements is by design or by chance - we might never know, especially since he claims to work without any preconceptions. Albeit the contextual intricacies of Mitra's work, a connoisseur will undoubtedly find himself unable to walk away from these paintings until he satisfies his instinctive itch to find some semblance of meaning in it.3 A demon in Hindu mythology who lived near Ekachara, West Bengal and was feared for his insatiable appetite. Not only did he devour the provisions sent to him by the king, but also the people who carried them. 4 A farming simulation game on social networking sites.
ANIRBAN MITRA’S DEBUT SOLO AT SAKSHI GALLERY, MUMBAI
November 15, 2013
Mitra’s works are gleeful amalgum of tribal art, television adverts and religious imagery all rendered in a hyper-colour palette that borders on the psychedelic. He places his carefully chosen elements in a chaotic but detached cluster, leaving the relationship between two images unclear and ambigious. His quirky compositions thus argue for the existence of a”multiplicity of theoretical standpoints” rather than grand all-encompassing theories.
Mitra’s recent suite, Inspecting the Construction, is populated with multiple characters, vignettes from pop-culture, and anatomical cross-sections of human and animal subjects, all set within the lattice of bamboo construction. As we inspect the bamboo construction which metaphorically represents the structures of society, snails crawling up his surface are seen ironically examining guns, a product of human civilisation. Mitra deals with issues of globalization, consumerism and commercialisation in a satirical and witty fashion, combining the rational with the absurd and erasing boundaries between the high and low forms of art, to offer a kaleidoscopic glimpse of contemporary times.
AnirbanMitra was born in Kolkata (1981). He received his BFA and MFA from Kalabhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. His works has since then been included in important international exhibitions such as Giant Elephant – Indian Contemporary Art Exhibition ay Gong Art Space, Seol, Finding India at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei and Bridging 2 worlds at Menier Gallery, London. Mitra was also invited to participate in the prestigious Glenfiddich Residency in Scotland in 2009.
He lives and works in Hooghly, West Bengal.
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Text by Neha Gupta
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Inside My Atelier
Text by Neha Gupta
i have been featured in VERVE MAGAZINE ,
look at the link below Inside My Atelier
Published: Volume 21, Issue 7, July, 2013
Three artists talk to Neha Gupta about their sanctified places of innovative creations where they
can allow their imaginations to adopt any form of expression
ANIRBAN MITRA
WIZARD OF SHADES
What you see around you, you will glimpse in Anirban Mitra’s artwork. A hyper-colour palette takes from television advertisements, tribal art and popular or common religious imagery – anything that has vibrancy to it. “The images of my paintings represent collage or co-existence of different realities. I look back at the artistic styles and canonical masterpieces of early artists such as the pop artists and their ‘appropriation’ (or borrowing) of popular imagery from comic strips, advertisements and the mass media in general.”
But visit his studio space in the suburbs of Kolkata and you will not see a lot of colour inside, except his current work in progress and one lively blue wall. Walk around his studio-home and you will see dull remnants of bright murals. In 2009, the artist had decided to take away the monotony of his blank walls by dressing them up to create an open gallery of sorts for the passing public. Now the murals have been abolished with the renovation of his studio-home. Mitra has already decided on the theme for his next mural. “I am planning to add more pop culture images like Batman, Superman and home appliance machines.”
Even though he doesn’t work outdoors, knowing his house is wrapped up in art is motivating enough for him. Rather attached to his studio, he admits to spending most of his time in this space – considering it is also part of his home. But all his work is always created inside. “I start the day with painting my works, reading books, watching films, taking photographs and taking care of my garden.” The latter also turns out to be his muse.
