Artist Dushyant Patel talks to Indulge about his latest collection of paintings, his dream project and more

Dushyant Patel, the extremely talented multidisciplinary artist based out of Vadodara, is in town to present his latest works of art, which took him around eight months to create, through an exhibition titled “The Illusion of Existence”.

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The recipient of several awards, including the prestigious HRD fellowship, has put on display over 100 paintings to captivate both seasoned art aficionados and art collectors. Speaking to Indulge, he reveals what his focus was while creating his latest series of paintings, his love for Chennai, his dream project and more.

Excerpts:

Q: Tell us about the theme of the show and why Chennai-based attractions are featured in them.

A: The title of the show “The Illusion of Existence” has in a way already conveyed the idea (behind it). My approach with the latest series of paintings focuses on understanding the relationship between humans and the animals and its complexities. I also tried to comment on the current environmental issues. Since I got the solo which was going to happen in Chennai, I thought by including Chennai-based attraction in my works, I would pay my tributes to the city.

Q: Tell us what you think is your masterpiece of the collection and why.

A: It is really hard to tell which is my favourite work of art among the 110 paintings that are on display. The ones titled Transportation of Animal and Survival of the Fittest are at the top. They are special because they represent a kind of new beginning for my upcoming series of works and have new elements in them.

Q: What does Chennai offer to you as an artist and what about the city inspires you the most?

A: Chennai offers me a great opportunity to understand the various exchanges of thoughts, insights and interactions with the local communities and regional artists through my works. I love this city as whole, from its food to culture, from geography to its architecture. The history of Chennai is very rich, diverse and so is the art made here.

Q: From where do you draw inspiration before commencing a project?

A: The inspirations range from my childhood memories, folklores, stories from Panchatantra to current affairs. I am also influenced by social and environmental issues.

Q: What type of painting comes to you naturally?

A: Figurative narrative is the thing which comes to me naturally because I have been working on in for a very long time. I then introduced surreal elements to it as well.

Q: What is your dream project?

A: I have great urge to create huge paintings. I have been working on small formats and I feel creating large canvases would give me a challenge and also help me to understand the psychological impact of it.

Q: What do you think budding artists should do to gain recognition these days?

A: My suggestion for budding artists is - hard work, honesty, truthfulness to the profession and awareness of the environment and the politics around it.

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Q: What can we expect from you in the future?

A: I am excited about my new series of works which will be majorly made using oil on canvas and watercolour and they will be bigger in size. They will talk about boundaries and how we see through them. The boundaries could be personal, political, between villages and cities and so on and so forth.

Entry free. 3 pm - 6.30 pm. On till August 26. At Apparao Galleries, Nungambakkam.