Shades of Delhi on Viraj Anand's canvas

This visual artist is documenting life in Delhi through this exhibition
Naatak Marg
Naatak Marg

Adorning the walls of India Habitat Centre’s Visual Art Gallery, Viraj Anand’s canvases seem more like windows into a day (or night) in Delhi, than paintings. A swell of chatter fills the gallery as observers mill around, much like the people in the paintings they are trying to decipher. The show titled ‘Naatak Marg’—on display till December 22—is, as the artist emphasises, “a metaphorical place where the drama of the city ensues.” His paintings depict a city moving at dizzying speed, perhaps, at times, even leaving behind the people who live in it.

Born and brought up in Delhi, Anand (27) is no stranger to the ways of the city. However, pursuing an art course at the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, which is located in a suburb in Bengaluru, has made him look at the city in ways he never considered before. “It was very cut off from the busy city life—we walked everywhere. At the time, I was also developing my artistic identity. When I came back to Delhi, it was like re-experiencing the city through a new artistic lens. That gave me an opportunity to render these moments, which I experience every day, like I had never done before,” says Anand, who now lives in Gurugram.

Adding that returning to Delhi after a stint in suburban Bengaluru was “almost a culture shock,” he shares, “The idea of ‘Naatak Marg’ was that I am creating works that tell stories about the city, which are being told to people of the city. There is some unfamiliarity, but, for the most part, I am home.”

An honest portrayal
In some of his works, like ‘Naatak Marg I’ and ‘II’—which are teeming with a complex jumble of vehicles, people, and even animals, rushing to destinations unknown—the Delhi rush is palpable and familiar. However, other works, like ‘Khirkee’, which brings alive the view outside a window, depicting cars paused on the street and two friends walking, and ‘Untitled’ where a balloon-seller runs across a zebra crossing, feel calmer. 

‘The Wheel’ takes a darker turn. Delhi’s lights burn vividly in the background, as a man—who seems to have had an accident and is bleeding on the street—reaches for help from strangers who take no note of him. Speaking about this painting, Viraj explains, “At one end of the spectrum, there is the beauty of Delhi. It is a chaos that we are all accustomed to. It is almost like the movement of a river. But within this movement is the underlying reality of Delhi. It is a depiction of how the city, in certain instances and the speed at which it is moving, is devoid of empathy. If something like this happens, the first instinct should be to stop and help. But sometimes, things happen and people just carry on with their lives.”

Another painting titled ‘Khaali Jam’ presents an eerie scene where abandoned vehicles are held up in traffic. The work is a depiction of “philosophical jams” and represents the COVID lockdowns, which brought cities across the world to a standstill. “‘Khaali Jam’ is something I started working on before the pandemic. My studio is in Panchsheel, and I live in Gurugram. With the lockdowns, I could not paint for around seven months. When I came back to it, I was looking at it, and it had a completely new meaning. A city only exists when people are meeting and doing things. When everyone is inside their houses, socially isolated, there is no city.” 

“The paintings make me feel calm,” says Rachna Chopra, a resident of Gurugram, “I love the way he has placed black and white work with the colourful ones. There is a lot of meaning and depth in what he has communicated,” adding that she loved ‘Khirkee’ and ‘Natak Marg II’. “They have communicated what Delhi is all about. You do not need someone to explain it to you. Once you see the work, you understand it. That is what Viraj’s work is for me.“

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