Sculptor Arun Pandit uses his art to represent the contrast between village and city life. The artist talks to Heena Khandelwal about his work, and where he's headed next
His multiple mirror images reflecting not just movement but the chaos and calm that separate city and village life, Arun Pandit has been creating waves with his bronze sculptures. His evocative 'Human Garud' at the Tirupati airport and his recent solo show, 'Power and Pathos', have put the spotlight on him. Recently, a selection of his works from previous exhibitions was put on display at Art Heritage Gallery's show, 10 Artists.
"They are the product of an intense research that I had been doing for the past 20 years. The repeated mirror images also reflect the contrast between villages and cities through sculptures," says the 45-year-old National Award winning artist, who has bagged several state government projects.
Pandit is known for a technique called mould to design multiple mirror images for reflective surfaces and movement. It's a style visible in all his recent works, including the 'Human Garud', which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This motion, he tells, is an inevitable part of life in the city, unlike his village in Patna.
"Several images of one face can leave you confused. It is this confusion and the stress that people in cities live with that I've presented through my work," says Pandit.
His sculpture, Family, is one example of this. It shows a mother, father and a child. While the father has multiple faces, the child and mother have one each. Also, the child leans towards the mother. "I come from a village where women are more in numbers as the boys and men move to the cities to earn a livelihood. This image portrays that," he explains.
Another work, Error 404, reflects the ubiquitous problem of slow internet. "When we download a photograph on slow internet and drag a mouse around it, it stretches in a way that multiple images appear," he says, going on to mention that it came from personal experience of receiving an error message almost every day.
While it all seems working in Pandit's favour now, he had a low phase in 1999 when he had quit making sculptures for a 9 to 5 job.
"I taught at a school for six months, then taught sculpture at Delhi College of Arts. I finally got a chance to model characters with a national news channel for a satirical show," he recalls.
Pandit's next series is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2018.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Arun-Pandit")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}