One of the best parts about being an art critic is interviewing artists. It’s the one time we get to stop talking and start listening.
As I sit down to interview one of the more ‘emerging artists’ on this residency, Pratik Sagar, he tells me that neither his English, nor his Hindi is very good. Surprising then, given this supposed communication gap, that over the course of an hour we manage to talk about disciplines diverse as philosophy, politics, biology, religious studies and semiotics – not to mention art history.
Despite being interested in science and almost training to become a Homeopath, Pratik formally trained as an artist. And despite his extensive knowledge of Religion and his leanings towards spirituality, he doesn’t actually believe in God. Given these diverse interests, his artworks take on multiple connotations and reach many levels – just as his thought processes do
Pratik first started working with animals and food after a pivotal incident involving the death of a kitten he was trying to save. This led to an important piece in his developing oeuvre called “Mother’s Milk.” For this performance-based work, Pratik filled many small bowls with cow’s milk, and arranged them to spell out the words ‘Mother’s milk.’ Puppies came to drink the milk and in the process, destroyed the formation of the lettering.
The irony of the puppies drinking the given milk rather than their mother’s was evident but Pratik was also looking at meaning attributed to particular words and the deconstruction of those words. Similarly he formed the word ‘absent’ out of sugar which duly disappeared when consumed by ants, and the word ‘lust’ out of honey which left just the lettering ‘us’ when eaten by insects.
OK, you could say, so his work incorporates performance, ecology and post-structuralist thinking – that’s interesting but there’s only so far one can go with that, right? Actually it seems to be the way Pratik uses these elements that continues to fascinate. Different works take on ritualistic meanings, comment on socio-political changes, bring together communities and simultaneously document wildlife.
In this very Khoj residency, Pratik has taken trips to the Yamuna River at sunrise and fed migratory birds at the shamshaan ghat; an environment usually associated with cremation rituals. Yet Pratik’s performative act brings together elements of death, ritual, ecology and life; his art practice almost synthesizes new rituals, ones that include the notion of hope.
But there is also despair in his works. His early experiments at art school were inspired by the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks which included a piece called “You burst or it burst” in which he placed balloons down a staircase, in wait of an unsuspecting public. He explains how some of those initial installations were about the idea of “self-destruction” and even commented on the inherent corruption and injustice that one often sees in India.
So perhaps Pratik is equally compelled by the worst and the best aspects of humanity?
Regardless of its direction, his message is certainly one of inclusion. He often uses popular Bollywood music as a soundtrack to his videos in order to increase their appeal. He once used a couplet from the legendary mystic Kabir’s poetry in an interactive work involving tea saying, “The idea of Kabir attracted people just like the sugar attracted the ants.” Pratik often calls his works observatories, or ‘gathering spaces’, making sure he installs them at public monuments, inside parks or outside places of worship.
“If it is public art then it has to be for everyone!” he insists.
This is how he believes figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Kabir effectively spread their ideas of peace, non-violence and forgiveness, widely. And that is perhaps why his latest work for the Khoj residency is named after one of the most common yet profound words we have – ‘FORGIVE’. I for one am intrigued to see what it will inspire us to do.
As I sit down to interview one of the more ‘emerging artists’ on this residency, Pratik Sagar, he tells me that neither his English, nor his Hindi is very good. Surprising then, given this supposed communication gap, that over the course of an hour we manage to talk about disciplines diverse as philosophy, politics, biology, religious studies and semiotics – not to mention art history.
Despite being interested in science and almost training to become a Homeopath, Pratik formally trained as an artist. And despite his extensive knowledge of Religion and his leanings towards spirituality, he doesn’t actually believe in God. Given these diverse interests, his artworks take on multiple connotations and reach many levels – just as his thought processes do
Pratik first started working with animals and food after a pivotal incident involving the death of a kitten he was trying to save. This led to an important piece in his developing oeuvre called “Mother’s Milk.” For this performance-based work, Pratik filled many small bowls with cow’s milk, and arranged them to spell out the words ‘Mother’s milk.’ Puppies came to drink the milk and in the process, destroyed the formation of the lettering.
The irony of the puppies drinking the given milk rather than their mother’s was evident but Pratik was also looking at meaning attributed to particular words and the deconstruction of those words. Similarly he formed the word ‘absent’ out of sugar which duly disappeared when consumed by ants, and the word ‘lust’ out of honey which left just the lettering ‘us’ when eaten by insects.
OK, you could say, so his work incorporates performance, ecology and post-structuralist thinking – that’s interesting but there’s only so far one can go with that, right? Actually it seems to be the way Pratik uses these elements that continues to fascinate. Different works take on ritualistic meanings, comment on socio-political changes, bring together communities and simultaneously document wildlife.
In this very Khoj residency, Pratik has taken trips to the Yamuna River at sunrise and fed migratory birds at the shamshaan ghat; an environment usually associated with cremation rituals. Yet Pratik’s performative act brings together elements of death, ritual, ecology and life; his art practice almost synthesizes new rituals, ones that include the notion of hope.
But there is also despair in his works. His early experiments at art school were inspired by the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks which included a piece called “You burst or it burst” in which he placed balloons down a staircase, in wait of an unsuspecting public. He explains how some of those initial installations were about the idea of “self-destruction” and even commented on the inherent corruption and injustice that one often sees in India.
So perhaps Pratik is equally compelled by the worst and the best aspects of humanity?
Regardless of its direction, his message is certainly one of inclusion. He often uses popular Bollywood music as a soundtrack to his videos in order to increase their appeal. He once used a couplet from the legendary mystic Kabir’s poetry in an interactive work involving tea saying, “The idea of Kabir attracted people just like the sugar attracted the ants.” Pratik often calls his works observatories, or ‘gathering spaces’, making sure he installs them at public monuments, inside parks or outside places of worship.
“If it is public art then it has to be for everyone!” he insists.
This is how he believes figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Kabir effectively spread their ideas of peace, non-violence and forgiveness, widely. And that is perhaps why his latest work for the Khoj residency is named after one of the most common yet profound words we have – ‘FORGIVE’. I for one am intrigued to see what it will inspire us to do.
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