About

Over the past decade, I have been on a personal journey strutting through the ever-evolving landscape of the Art world. Although my practice may not have garnered the spotlight that it deserves, it has certainly been marked by a deliberate emphasis on vernacular sensibility. Rooted in the distant hinterlands of the subcontinent, my perspective stands at a tangent to the so-called ‘mainstream.’ I am both an outsider and a harbinger of a distant promise of entitlement. It’s not a complete departure, but a nuanced shift. 

While I share many concerns with the mainstream and its metropolitan centers, I exist at a slight remove, grounded in unorthodox appropriations and parody transformations of the dominant aesthetic paradigms of the last century. I often draw inspiration from the mytho-poetic spaces of local cultures. However, it should be noted that this artistic tendency is not limited to regional or local literature. 

To understand the origins of these concerns we need to recognize the late but disruptive arrival of modernity and the accompanying ‘development’ of socio-political instabilities and fractures. These changes though not always negative, have broken long-standing class and caste divisions and created upward mobility for marginalized sections of society. Emerging from this experience is a keen understanding of natural paradoxes in the nation, including their triumphs and tribulations, follies of the political class, and adversarial relationships with mythological / mythical spaces that are outside the teleology of history as a symbolic realm of possibility. 

My artistic practice is a manifestation of this perspective. It thrives on an edgy Surrealist vocabulary, employing image shifts and substitutions to craft surreal and fantastical landscapes and narratives. I meld photography, digital manipulation, and mixed media to transport viewers to alternate dimensions. Through my work, I explore the ethical dimensions of contemporary life, delving into the intricate dynamics of power and difference across visual, social, and political realms.

I have a special affinity for the narrative genre, which I use as a vehicle to depict the challenges of modern humanity. Tales consistently mix reality with populism and didacticism, thus reaching a wide audience. Using imagination metaphorically, I convey urgent moral imperatives and expose hidden inequalities that govern social existence. The core of my art is storytelling. Many of my works incorporate elements of mythology, folklore, and history into their characters, forming an integral part of a larger narrative. These compositions are like metaphors, mixing the essentials of everyday life in an unexpected way. 

Humor and irony are recurring elements in my art. Satire becomes a vehicle for commenting on serious social and political issues with a playful and humorous touch. This approach introduces an element of absurdity into my work, and the complex layering and digital manipulation techniques used create works that evoke the eye.

My artwork reflects a profound awareness of human frailty, addressing this aspect with a combination of compassion and humor. While it refrains from harsh criticism of human shortcomings, it does so with a balanced approach that avoids superficiality and excessive sentimentality. Instead, my art holds a mirror to our imperfections, offering the prospect of redemption through introspection.

Suneel Mamadapur