While the world of art is not something new for Roy Varghese who has a background in graphic design as well as advertising, Half Past Sense is a first for him. After a decade of experience exhibiting in group shows, he is finally ready to fly solo. He believes that this comes as a result of his evolution as an artist.
Half Past Sense is a series of 28 unique pieces of art that Roy has created on mixed media. Each piece acts as a portal, extending the artist’s imagination and unveiling a single story at a time. Drawn to absurdity as a way of being, the Bengaluru-based artist invites viewers to explore the spaces that exist between sense and nonsense, the known and unknown. “Magic realism, absurd theatre, nonsense poetry and Ulatbansi are all interpretations of this in art,” he adds.
“At the exhibition, people will encounter obscure observations on the wavelength of hair, different phases of the moon, characters like Mohan, Srinivas and others who may or may not be real,” he continues.
This exploration stems from a habit. Roy keeps a sketchbook where he diligently draws and writes about the things he observes around him. Inspired by the ever-changing nature of the world, he finds endless fodder for his art, transforming these observations into captivating narratives.
To create the series which consists of artwork in varying sizes, Roy has worked with paper, cardboard and magazine pages, primarily drawing and painting using pen and ink and mixed media.
While talking about the creative process that went into Half Past Sense, he says, “In the works that use a printed surface like a magazine page or a packaging box, the print itself is a starting point. From here, it is a process of masking and revealing, digesting and regurgitating the frame.”
As one scans through the artist’s works at his solo exhibition, Juxta Flux is bound to catch their attention, given its 4 x 3 feet dimension. This piece of art, which is the largest of the lot, is a diptych with two panels. The artist shares that Juxta Flux, which evolved from his explorations, readings and discussions on the juxtaposition of science and spirituality, is an attempt to understand this for himself.
While we spoke to him about the exhibition, we were eager to understand what made him take the leap of faith after all these years. Turns out that the formal transition from his design to art practice started in 2020.
His design studio was on a sabbatical and Roy dove headfirst into a world of drawing, painting and writing for six whole months. That creative plunge sparked a fire, urging him to chase art more seriously. Half Past Sense is the culmination of his artistic journey, a reminder that passions, like dreams, can take flight at any time.
Entry free. 28 April to 30 April, 11 am to 5 pm. At 1 Shanthi Road.
(Written by Subhashini Ramasamy)
