Barren Red’ comes out of a feeling of unsettlement. As 44-year-old artist Puneet Kaushik articulates his emotions of dissatisfaction over the matters of violence, intimidation and assault, among other things, in his new exhibition called ‘Barren Red’, he uses red as a powerful metaphor to underline the manic speed at which we’re headed towards catastrophic times.
Kaushik says, “The aerial view of the territorial landscape is a perception of the future in this world of terrorism. The unofficial or unauthorised use of brutality in the pursuit of achieving aims within the self has crossed all boundaries. Our focus is far from humanitarianism.”
His art sends out a loud, unreserved alert for the future, quite opposite to his otherwise gentle way of talking. The twisted contours of land rendered, all in deep red, reminds him of how twisted the reality of life is.
He expresses himself through diversity in materials. He has used bones, paper pulp, hair, charcoal, pebbles and others in his works in the past. Today he stands alongside interesting materials, such as strands of woven cotton, wool and jute cords, rubber latex and acrylic deep red cloth, that have been turned into an œuvre d’art. He doesn’t define what it stands for.
“For one it could be streams of blood flowing inside the body, and for others, bloodshed caused by violence outside. To some, the jute cords seem entangled. For others, they’re in the process of being de-tangled. Its openness to interpretations makes it dynamic,” says Kaushik. “But an important aspect of the piece is shadow play. Shadows are omnipresent and for me these emphasise on the ‘other self’ that never leaves our side.”
Like other artists, his work too is a product of his subconscious and conscious system of complex thoughts. Each of his canvases displays a sum total of his entire life and that’s why his each piece uses different ideas, articulated through different materials. That’s why he doesn’t understand signature pieces by artists. “How can you be gimmicky by making the same thing again and again? Your depictions change with emotions. So how can you make the same thing repetitively,” he says.
Since versatility of materials is important for him, in ‘Barren Red’, he uses weaving, knitting, crochet and Tibetan bead work embellishments—that are on the threshold of extinction—in his works. Currently, he is most upbeat about techniques such as dying, staining and printing.
In one room, what seems like a galaxy of stars has been created. There are square sheets of paper treated with natural tea and coffee stains with block and screen prints. The sheets are then perforated to let light pierce through the back of each socket, where the paper is stuck.
“It narrates exactly where I am in my spiritual journey. This work makes me wonder whether light is coming from inside or going inside. It represents the idea of ‘being’ and ‘not being’. Through it, I somehow connect with the idea of loving and being loved,” he says.
For him, art is a meditative process. Human beings tend to carry baggage and art is a great way of letting it off. “It’s therapeutic, yet tedious. It takes me closer to nirvana. Nothing matters more,” he says.