KOCHI: Salvador Dali blended the worlds of reality and dreams in most of his artworks. The Spanish legend and his surreal paintings have awed and inspired countless art enthusiasts worldwide, and artist C B Shibu is one among them.
Piqued by Dali’s artworks, which nudge one to explore the subconscious mind, Shibu recently made an oil painting titled ‘Dream’. And that frame has now bagged the second prize at the ongoing Biennale Internazionale dell’ Umorismo nell’ Arte (Festival of Humour in Art) in Italy.
The 32nd edition of the fest, organised by the municipality of Tolentino, showcases 2,400 works by 745 artists from 40 countries. Shibu shared the second spot with Italian artist Sergio Tessarolo. “This was my maiden attempt at this Italian biennale. I wanted the work to be out-of-the-box, surreal,” says Shibu, who hails from Cherai.
“I have been researching the works of Salvador Dali. His dream-like images have nuanced layers, and that inspired me to come up with the painting ‘Dream’.” The work features a vast sea with crimson shimmers of the setting sun. By the shore, two children gaze towards the horizon. Though the description seems like any other sunset painting, on close observation, one notices the sun is ‘setting’ in the middle of the sea.
“The painting can be interpreted in several ways,” explains Shibu. “When we dream, our subconscious mind form multiple random images. Some don’t sync with the real world. Moreover, there was a time when ancient Indians talked about the various suns. The imagery in the ‘Dream’ could well be something set in a parallel universe.”
Though buoyed by the biennale delight, Shibu says financial constraints would not let him travel to Italy. “Artists will have to bear their entire expense. It’s a great opportunity, but I don’t have the wherewithal,” he adds. The 44-year-old has been pursuing art for over two decades now. His big break was receiving the third position in the Aydin Dogan International Cartoon competition held in Turkey in 2007.
Last year, his work, titled ‘The Tree’, received a silver medal in the International Cartoon and Illustration Exhibition conducted by the Chinese government.