Artist Manoj Aggarwal is a quiet observer of city life, drawing inspiration from ordinary people, and the simple stories that unfold around them. His ongoing exhibition, ‘Silent Observer’, showcases paintings and sculptures that capture the lives of the working class, his interpretations of deities, and moments laced with gentle satire.
Primarily a figurative artist, Aggarwal often turns his gaze to women—sometimes lost in thought, seated in stillness, some with wings dreaming, or simply admiring themselves. “In women figures, there is a rhythm. I picked them out of the rhythm, the contour, and the aesthetic sense of that figure,” he says. His women reflect the simplicity of daily life—draped in blouses, skirts, dhotis, or sarees. They are from our society and surroundings — from those working in markets to those we see in our own homes.
Aggarwal’s style is sharp and distinctive, with human figures bearing large, almost cubical muscular bodies and small heads. “I see my figures in two parts. One is the normal half portion, and the other is enhanced. When you take a photograph from a certain angle, some part of the body appears more prominent—that’s what I pick up and distort in my own style. When I combine those two parts, it just becomes something unique to my work,” he explains.
The women in his works are no exception. “These women are full-bodied, taking up space, just as active as the men,” says curator and art critic Georgina Maddox. “That sensitivity is what drew me to his work.”
All heard
Aggarwal’s works capture countless untold stories of migration, struggle, and hope. In his ‘Finding Own Space’ series, two sculptures show men burdened by their dreams: one drags a house behind him, while another carries land stacked with houses. “This is a common person, looking for a house,” Aggarwal says. “They don’t have their own space to live. It’s their pain and ambition—that they should have a place in the city.”
In another set of paintings, he reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic. One shows a woman trapped in a box with a mask; another, a migrant worker carrying his home on his back; and a third, a man listening to a gramophone, enjoying rare moments of quiet. “These interpretations remind us of people’s social standing and what something like COVID truly means here. The people who are most vulnerable are always those on the margins of society. This section carries a very strong social message,” says Maddox.
Satirical tales
Aggarwal also wields satire to critique modern life. In ‘Freedom of Speech’ (2023), a figure with a megaphone for a head and a gun in hand embodies the double-edged nature of expression. “Sometimes, for freedom of speech, people have to take up arms,” Maddox says. “Who gets to speak? Who gets heard? In today’s world, every act can be politicised. Everything carries a subtext.” In ‘Blind Race’ (2018), he sculpts a human body with a horse’s head, racing toward a finish line. The figure critiques the pressures of urban life, its momentum driven by ambition but devoid of direction.
Through his sculptures, Manoj Aggarwal captures the full spectrum of urban life—its humour, despair, beauty, and hope. His works are laced with dark humour yet remain warm and human. A quiet and reclusive observer, he lets his art speak and it speaks volumes about who we are as a society.
“Many relate these works to their own life,” Aggarwal says. “Someone connects it to their experiences, someone admires it aesthetically or interprets it philosophically, and an artist might notice the technique. Everyone has their own perspective. As an artist, I just do my work, express it, transform it. After that, it belongs to the people to enjoy in their own way.”
On view at Visual Arts Gallery at India Habitat Centre till August 5, and at Dhoomimal Gallery, Connaught Place from August 8 to 31