Works displayed in the gallery. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Concepts related to migration and the idea of ​​’individuality’ have always fascinated Hyderabad-based artist Sushisarj (Sushant Sharma). Moving from Chandigarh to Bengaluru, Delhi and now Hyderabad, the artist explores how emotional changes and different identities impact our sense of self while traversing unfamiliar cities, cultures and communities.

Her first solo show, People Who Never Were, features 10 hand-painted canvases that revolve around the theme of the multiple personalities that exist within us. Eye-catching black-on-black canvases with only eyes looking towards the viewer or abstract faces on other canvases attract visitors’ attention. A lot,” he says.

Ceramic pieces made in collaboration with Pooja Chamudiya are also displayed in the exhibition.

personality development

sushisurge

The artist admits that his art involves a lot of self-reflection. He considers himself fortunate to live in welcoming cities. He explains that personality develops over time: “When you move to different cities, you not only get exposed to the people there but are also immersed in a new culture. You wonder which parts of you remain in the previous city and which parts of you have evolved.

look within

As people around the world move to new places, and global migration becomes the order of the day, many personalities emerge, which SushiSurge’s exhibits encourage us to explore. While new places inspire a person to grow, different stages of life play an important role in shaping our personality. “With age, we often outgrow a phase or characteristic. We may be impulsive at a certain age but we learn to move on without looking at our old self with regret. Maybe we were kinder and more curious at the time,” he says, before wondering, “Whether you want to reconnect with the personality you left behind in the past or are you happy to move on from that.” Are?”

creative process

hand painted canvas in gallery

With acrylic paint and charcoal on canvas as the main medium, the artist creates unique hand-painted canvases. He begins sketching figurative shapes on a canvas and then removes as much as possible from the figure, asking questions such as “How much can I remove from the face so that it still looks like a face” or “Should I Need a mouth and nose” ‘?’ This process leads him to create abstract art. Once he reaches a simplified form, many of which look like a crowd, he uses his index finger to apply black or white paint.

The creative process is challenging and laborious, taking him a week to create small canvases (4×4 feet) and sometimes even a fortnight to create larger pieces (5×4 feet or 5×7 feet). That said, the art style is less forgiving; If his finger slips and he puts too much black paint on the white canvas, it is difficult to paint over it and move on. Most of the time, he has to redraw the canvas and start all over again.

by Sushisarj

After studying the design, art, and art practices of many artists, he was drawn to American artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, whose work made him realize that one needed to evoke emotions through figurative shapes. No, even big splashes of color can do this. Create anger, love and peace.

Is he planning to move out of Hyderabad also? “I think I can stay in Hyderabad for a while because I have my own home studio to create artworks, and I also have my dog ​​Po,” he says with a smile.

People Who Never Were by Sushisarj is on display at Gallery 78, Izzat Nagar, Shilpa Hills, Hyderabad till 27 November.