Artist Vipin Singh Rajput recalls his journey from a struggling sketching artist to creating an identity across the globe. By Upasana Singh
A bit of tissue paper, a scrap of old fabric, rice paper — it is art that is certainly unusual. The concept is out-of-the-box where art is created using raw materials such as jute threads and sacks available at home and there is the elaborate use of burnt wooden paper as the backdrop. The unusual exhibition with around 10 paintings, called Infinity, by Vipin Singh Rajput will be up for public viewing at Triveni Art Gallery till January 7.
One piece of work titled Bastar grabbed considerable attention. “The theme is inspired by real-life encounters I had with Naxalites and the tribal community. My work depicts the terrifying situations prevailing between both the communities in Bastar. The red base colour in the painting symbolises the Naxalite and on the other side green signifies the territory of tribals. The jute sacks and nomadic dots (traditional art of tribal community) is used to enhance its mood,” he asserted.
The artist hails from a small town called Bastar in Chhattisgarh. He had no clear vision about his goals nor any financial support when he first stepped into the field. But over a period of time, Rajput has established himself as a renowned artist who has showcased his work in India as well as abroad. “Initially, I was unclear about what I wanted in life. It was a challenging phase where I had no family support or a stable livelihood. I started doing odd jobs to earn a living. Things took a turn for the better when one of my close friends insisted that I learn art professionally since he was aware that I was passionate about it,” revealed Rajput.
The most innovative aspect of his presentation was that the artworks were framed on partially burnt wooden paper. This was inspired by an event where he witnessed an attack by the Naxals where the houses were put on fire.
However, burning paper to achieve the desired shape was a painstaking process. He noted, “While burning, I didn’t have any prior image set in head about the shape I wanted. It’s just that I kept burning it until I reached at the design that suited me best and eventually used a wet cloth to stop the flames.”
The artist has always been inclined to produce unique and innovative artworks influenced by observations and experiences. “My paintings are generally unique as I prefer using basic household materials for my art. In some of my paintings, I have used an old saree of my mother, old jute sack of labourers, waste papers and unwanted torn fabrics to keep my work grounded”.
Coming from an underprivileged family, Rajput managed to showcase his work at different local exhibitions and that is when he got a scholarship to visit Europe under Camlin Euro Art Tour (2015) to explore the international art. “This exposed me to a variety of experiences and helped me to explore art. It shaped my vision and work to focus more on creativity”. He further shared that the concept of jute was one such idea that he incorporated in his artworks, inspired by the Albert Bury’s exhibit and considers him as his inspiration. Rajput has travelled through Europe, Rome, France, Paris and Venice to explore the international art exhibitions which gave him ample opportunities to enhance his thoughts and innovations.
Sharing his thoughts about the advantage of art exhibitions, Rajput believes that solo exhibitions give an artist and viewers more space to interact, communicate as well as to express the stories behind the painting whereas group exhibitions are more reserved and lack in self recognition.
In the era of contemporary art, the artist has his own definition about it and he emphasised that, “To me contemporary art doesn’t mean the use of new techniques and materials in paintings but to use traditional material like jute sack, leather in such a creative form to give it shape of contemporary art.” The artist tries to preserve Indian culture in his work to easily make people relate to his imagination through his keen observation of elements of nature, variation in colors, human emotions, character and thoughts of people around him.
The artist is now prepping for his forthcoming exhibition in Australia.