The air is static, filled with smog and fumes. Grey smoke rises from the chemical plants on the outskirts of a village. There is no greenery to be seen anywhere — everything is bleak. The imminent end of the world seems to have finally arrived, stealing all the colours from the world.
Basanth Peringode’s latest collection of artworks follows a similar theme. They redefine landscapes — from what used to be picturesque sceneries to the reality of a world we are destroying. The only colours left are the ochre yellow of fire, the grey of the sky and the crimson of the soil. His harsh, bold, thick strokes bring a sense of doom to every onlooker. His artworks document a less-visited reality.
Basanth says this is the best an artist can do during a climate catastrophe — document it. “We are living in polluted water and air. I simply painted the world we live in,” adds the Kochi-based artist.“I travel a lot, sometimes for work and sometimes for inspiration. Over time, I have noticed how the world around us has changed. I could see the effects of climate change and global warming. Diminishing green landscapes on one side and the rising skyscrapers and factories on the other,” says Basanth.
All his paintings were recently exhibited at a solo show in Kozhikode. The show was aptly titled The Colour And Weight Of The World. Some of the paintings were also part of the Lokame Tharavadu contemporary art show last year.
Travelling canvas
Basanth has wanted to be an artist all his life. So, when he got a chance to study art, he took it. “Just after I finished pre-degree, I found out there is an opening at a mural painting academy in Guruvayoor. I was one of the first-batch students there. I didn’t even know anything about mural works until then,” says Basanth.
But regardless of what he studied, Basanth was always intrigued by the world around him. So he started incorporating his ideas into murals. This is how his unique, abstract style was born. From the snow-covered Himalayan mountains to the banks of the Ganges in North India, his abstract landscapes open you up to the vastness of the world around us.