Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your practice?

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My practice is a constant attempt at understanding the materiality of an object and also playing along the lines of its metaphorical connotations. My sculptures are an amalgamation of different materials in search of my abstract understanding of my immediate surrounding. The form is an integral part of my work, both form and material inform the context and intent of the sculpture. From what I understand is that every object and its materiality has its own distinct identity and history. For me, the material is the medium, and it also informs the context of the sculpture. Apart from that I also employ simple mechanisms to the sculptures where the viewer has to interact with the artwork. The crux of my practice is my response to the issues of land and politics in Goa, and its adverse effect the society.

 

 

​What is the project that you worked on for the CATALYST art grant?

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I have been working on an interactive sculpture. Here, I have imitated the boundary marker stones which look alike milestones that demarcate land and also distinguish one piece of land from the other. I used paper mache to make these concrete-looking structures. Paper, here is used as a metaphor representing memory, evidential documents, and legality of a land. Hence, claiming paper to be a legal carrier of history. Precisely, the process of paper mache explains the homogeneous mix of different pieces of paper.

 

What was the process of research for this project? What were some of the most surprising/curious things you discovered along the way?

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I am working on the topic i.e land issue in the state for quite some time. For that, I started reading about different land disputes and issues related to land in Goa. Also, I read about different laws related to land that are prevalent in the state of Goa. While doing research I understood many problems that people were facing related to land. One of the problems is land grabbing. Where people having money and muscle power illegally starts grabbing land of the depressed class. 

For curtailing illegal land grabbing, determination of the portion of land is very important and boundary stone is one of the important object which demarcates the boundaries of the land. So I started my work revolving around the importance of the Boundary stone in the demarcation process and made it an important character in my work.

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How does the work on display consider/ create sensorial experiences for the audience?

 

I will display a group of boundary Marker stones in a separate room. They will resemble actual boundary Marker stones that we see in our locality, especially in paddy fields. These stones will look heavy and real but actually, they are made up of paper mache which will make them lighter than that of actual stones. Also, some stones will move based on the mechanism that I have developed. This movement of the sculpture will attract the audience and would develop curiosity and fascination among them. 

 

Who is the audience for your work? 

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The main audience that my work caters to is people who are concerned about the failing ecology. Also, the natives of Goa are those who believe in not disrupting the ecological harmony of this place.

 

What role do the community and collaborative experience play in your practice?

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I have been practicing art for the past 8 years. The community around me has been active in terms of practicing and discussing art,  in a sense sharing my own understanding and knowing other practices. It feels good to see that there are other practices with similar concerns and motivates me my artistic career.