“The artist’s world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep.” — Paul Strand
This is the philosophy that Tapan Dash lives by. A spontaneous artist who believes in the infinite possibilities of the brush and canvas, Dash is one among the 11 Indian contemporary artists whose work is being featured in the exhibition titled ‘Transformation Change is Constant’ at Sridharani Art Gallery, Delhi. Inspired by the myriad art forms of Odisha, Dash traces his roots to the temple town of Puri whose soul is the renowned Jagannath Temple.
“I have always been surrounded by beautiful architecture, artists and artisans. The rich cultural heritage of Puri, Konark and Raghurajpur has been my muse. From the fine sculptures of the Sun Temple to the structural brilliance of the Jagannath Temple or the finesse of the Pattachitra paintings, I find inspiration everywhere,” he says. Impromptu, unconstrained and with an element of uninhibitedness, Dash believes in not restricting himself to a particular theme, object or subject. “I want people to use their imagination and interpret my art. This, I think, is far more interesting than imposing a particular idea or view,” says Dash, who uses oil pastels on canvas and dry and soft pastel on paper as his main medium.
While keen on people interpreting his artworks, he admits that the figures in his paintings are unconsciously influenced by the sculptures and art forms he witnessed as a child in Odisha. “My figures are most often slender and have soft silhouettes as these impressions have been ingrained in my mind since childhood,” he adds. From the characteristic images of his native Odisha elephants, bananas, priests, tribal and folk art to the more contemporary depiction of Jesus Christ, it is the colour of the homeland that finds space on his canvas.
When not submerged in the visual world, Dash enjoys Indian classical music and dance and dreams of building an artist village someday in Odisha. “I want it to serve as a residency and exchange programme for artists from all over India and abroad so that they can interact and learn about each other’s techniques and unique styles,” says the 50-year-old who mentions that his favourite artists include KG Subramanyan and FN Souza, besides Marc Chagall and Gustav Klimt. Between Subramanyan and Klimt… that’s quite an impressive range.
What & Where
Transformation—Change is Constant; Sridharani Art Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, Delhi; Till March 15