Curated by Rahul Kumar

Does the feeling of uncertainty always create an uneasy sensation? The fear of the unknown, the non-predictability of an outcome, or something that is not held secure enough – what do these situations mean to us? By nature, we crave certitude and assurance. Trains running on time, the monsoon arriving when expected, and the maps giving an accurate assessment of traffic congestion, our lives revolve around all things calculable with great degree of certainty. Ironically, most, if not all, of life and its events remain somewhat unpredictable. Even the best of trend analysis fails and the most securely constructed structures fall. How do we then deal with and respond to these notions of delicate, unstable, and often perilous situations? Do we become unreasonably obsessed and paranoid, or merely conscious and possibly careful? Does the idea of the unknown and the element of surprise add to our experience, encouraging us to give our best?

Precarious brings together nine early-career visual artists who explore various themes of contemporary times, interpreting what it means to live on the edge. Sanal PT and Ashok Baski examine the agrarian culture, layered with underlying politics of food production and consumption. Rapid urbanization and influx of technology in the name of development has altered the social fabric. However, the plight of the farmers and voice of rural-India remains unheard. Sanal heavily references the landscape of his home-town in Kerela. His narrative is based on the landless people, often seen hiding behind a coconut tree or melting into the paddy fields in his work. Using symbolic elements, his works reconstruct the possibilities and values of the landscape through a subaltern political lens, opening the discourse of marginalization and collective consciousness. Ashok on the other hand, presents the everyday and the mundane. A scene that is quintessential representative of an Indian village is a potent reminder of the simple life that is close to nature. What further makes his work intriguing is the use of soil from his native place to paint the imagery. Agwma Basumatari is driven by his profound connection with the woodcut print process, which he believes also respects the environment. He celebrates the attire and the people of the indigenous Bodo tribe. He pays homage to the culture of the land by using hand woven traditional cloth as his canvas, but reminds us of the sensitive nature of the lives of the native people in contemporary times.

Parul Sharma and Savitha Ravi use a personal lens to navigate the architectural elements that evoke deep emotions for them. Savitha goes down the memory lane through photographs of her ancestral home. While the house has ceased to exist, the idea of spaces within it still reminds her of her childhood. She explores this by layering various images executed in multiple media. From metal plates and printed on canvas, Savitha uses cast concrete in her installation. For Parul, the dense urban jungle of her metro city becomes her muse. Houses that are situated in close proximity, often leaving a sliver for the sunlight to pass through, seem to be collapsing in her sculptures. Deepanjali Shekhar closely observes the fragility of human relationships. Metaphors of the feminine have a constant presence in her imagery through flowers and the triangular form. She showcases the cycle of life through a tree with deep roots, spread branches that bear fruit, and fallen seeds, ready to germinate.

Rajat Kumar’s paintings are a window to the obscure and ordinary spaces around us. A dimly lit staircase, a bed with crushed linen, or the façade of a building, his works inevitably create a déjà vu for his viewers. There is strangeness and yet a sense of familiarity to these images. With whispering strokes of paint, Rajat reminds us of the profoundness and delicate nature of our association with places. In contrast, Nandita Mukherjee is fascinated with narratives embedded in objects, in particular those that have been transformed through human interaction. She presents her drawings of these overlooked objects as a reservoir of history that they have witnessed, almost as keepers of time flown. Each surface, for Nandita, tells myths and stories accumulated, waiting to be unraveled through these silent storytellers.

Pradip Das’s assemblages remind the viewers of displacement and dislocation. A reference to the undivided border of India and Bangladesh in one of his works, for instance, has a personal lived history as well as a commentary on the volatility of socio-political circumstances. His work is multi-layered, representing complexities of identity and resilience.

Each practice presents a lens to view a version of reality. Loosely held together, delicately balanced, and fragile, the artists compel us to take cognizance and hope for an increased consciousness.

Written by Rahul Kumar