43-year-old Saptarshi Das's encapsulated art

And when he has gathered sufficient amounts of these found objects, he encapsulates them in resin that lends a beautiful glittering effect, and lo, an art work is born.
Das observes that the current trend of online shows had started to pick even before the pandemic struck.
Das observes that the current trend of online shows had started to pick even before the pandemic struck.

The collects all kinds of waste materials like dead insects, pods, dried seeds, flowers that he notices on the roads and in the parks and preserves these like a woman would do with her precious jewellery items. And when he has gathered sufficient amounts of these found objects, he encapsulates them in resin that lends a beautiful glittering effect, and lo, an art work is born.

It is difficult to typecast artist Saptarshi Das, 43. He paints and creates three-dimensional art using waste material. Twelve of his art works made from waste material are on display at the Ragini Gallery’s online exhibition, Encapsulated. “This is not a routine painting or sculpture show,” Das says of his ongoing show. “It exhibits art pieces based on natural history and made using scrap, food grains, etc. I have been working on this methodology since 10 years now.” Sure enough, the pieces celebrate the endless cycles of change, and rebirth in nature.

Artworks Encapsulated, Imposition and The Museum created by Das
using found objects

“There is a lot of natural history (organisms, plants, insects and other species) around humans, each of which is an important part of the ecosystem. Sadly, we have overlooked them, which has led to a few of them getting extinct.” Das fears that with time humans will aggressively detach themselves from nature and human-engineered objects will take precedence. Born in Bauria village, Howrah, West Bengal, Das got interested in fine arts at an early age, thanks to his father, an ardent art lover.

“He also delved into poetry, literature, music and dance. I have inherited it all from him,” says Das, who chose fine arts as “I can best express myself in it”. But then one cannot survive on selling paintings alone. So Das, being pragmatic, took up a job in an IT company as a visualiser. “It is very tough to sustain as a full time artist in our country, because our art patronisation systems are not very serious about art. Also, the common man here does not appreciate art. Art education is not even a subject at school level,” he says.

Why did this Kolkata- based artist choose a Delhi gallery to hold a show? “Because just like Kolkata, Delhi has a rich cultural heritage existing hand-in-hand with modern infrastructure. People here nurture and promote art.” Das’ artistic journey started from paintings that reflected the socio-political scenario in the country. “I gradually moved towards multidisciplinary art, focusing more on conceptual art, methods and its materials,” he says.

This is not to say that he doesn’t dabble in oils and acrylics. He does all of that too, almost 4-6 hours a day after office hours, while the weekends are totally devoted to art. Das observes that the current trend of online shows had started to pick even before the pandemic struck. “But now, online is a necessity, though it will take some more time for the viewers and art collectors to take online shows seriously. But yes, we have to accept this technological advancement as a challenge,” he signs off.

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