When the endlessness of thoughts meets the limitlessness of the canvas, a subtle alchemy of wonderment is born. This takes you on a far away search for what lies beyond the obvious. Once you begin to retract from it, you see the magic you have created. It was similar out of body experience that artist Sajid Wajid experienced when working on his recent work titled Grey Matter, being shown as part of St+Art India Foundation’s next edition of an urban art festival called St+art Delhi 2019. An immersive exhibition called F(r)iction has been given shape at KONA.
As he locked himself in a small room, also his canvas for artistic projections, for seven days, he witnessed a transcendental shift in his conscious. He felt like Lord Bhrama creating his own little universe. “These trance like situations give you the God complex wherein you start believing in your invincibility. You stop taking reality into cognisance,” says Wajid. His work is titled Grey Matter as he took the most active part of his anatomy to work with its subconscious stream. He had to train his conscious mind to not interfere. “It was an exercise in losing complete control and relying on the subliminal level. Through his process, I became witness to my own self, up close and personal. At times, I was also appalled,” he says.
Once inside the room, there was one thing that constantly gave him company. It was the element of surprise. His emotions got a free reign, and he as a passive observer, indulged in its therapeutic pouring. “There were times when I was really angry at something and I ended up drawing tigers. At other times when I felt alone, I drew snakes. This was purely involuntary,” says the artist, who began his career as an illustrator.
As an artist, his opinion about the use of technology is divided. While he feels it has aided his practice to a large extent, he has also witnessed how it makes one dependant, sometimes destroying lives. “A friend of mine, who was a state level football player, got addicted to virtual gaming so dangerously that he didn’t come out of his room for two months. On the other hand, technology has helped evolve our thoughts about what is possible,” he says.
Wajid uploads his entire artistic journey on his Insta stories to engage people’s interest and to make them a part of his process. He is self-taught and wants people to view his work as he makes it so they can ask questions and learn. It’s his virtual place for real conversations and nothing gets more real than art.
The exhibition will also see works of other artists with a focus on art, culture, alternate realities, and effects of technology. On view till March 10, from 12 noon to 9.30 pm; Tuesdays – Sundays, at 1, Jor Bagh Market.