BENGALURU: Rising intolerance in our society is a challenge to artists, says absurdist Pradeep Kambathalli, but so also is personal finance. “One of the biggest challenges we face is surviving, financially, relying on our art,” he says, adding, “Most of us get by with commission works/ design projects and teaching, including me.”
Pradeep draws his inspiration from literature, travelling, mundane occurrences, proverbs and art history. “The absurd/absurdity fascinates me and becomes the vantage point from which I construct the visual image, sometimes juxtaposing it with further references,” he says, adding that he tries to tell a story as a narrator.
He considers absurdity as a phenomenon through which he presents and explains his solitude. “I enhance my narrative with a little play of irony or satire, subtly embedded into my work.” He is greatly influenced by literature, especially the genre of magical realism, because of its distinct narrative strategies. “It helps me create my own fictional world filled with absurd characters (such as the superheroes in one of his work) portrayed in equally absurd situations.”
In one of his canvases, we see geometric shapes with superheroes such as Superman and Phantom caught in its many intersecting lines. “There is no reason why the character is in it,” says Pradeep, “I simply put them in to add a different dimension to the piece, the viewer is free to interpret it as he or she will.”
Born in 1983, Pradeep was introduced to art by a Kannada writer Late Sreenivasa Raju who was then a professor at Chitrakala Parishath. “He had also taught my parents when they studied Kannada literature at Bangalore University,” says Pradeep.
Though he has specialised in the study of sculpture from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, in 2004, drawing forms a large part of his oeuvre. He has showcased his work across country and abroad, and also held workshops and symposiums in India and Malaysia. He will be presenting his journey of art at Ananya Drishya, an event developed by senior artist SG Vasudev.
“I have been practicing art since 2004 and I want to show how my practice has evolved through this time, and how I have tried to deal with my concerns and influences through my work.” He has moderated one of the sessions for Ananya Drishya. He adds, “This is an unique platform where I can present my works, and it could lead to a conversation and debate which a gallery space lacks.” Earlier, these kind of exchanges, debates and discourses happened only at artists’ studios, he says. “This helps us know what each artist is up to and helps the general public understand how artists think and work.”
Pradeep Kambathalli will present his work at Ananya Drishya at Venkatappa Art Gallery on July 25, 6 pm. The session will be moderated by Nagaraj Vastarey.