Artist Sanjeev Sonpimpare prepares for his new show; says like before, his present works stem from the perspective of the common man.
In 1988 Sanjeev Sonpimparne moved to Mumbai to pursue an art degree at the JJ School of Art. Now, twenty-two years later, one of his paintings will be hung in the domestic airport of Mumbai. The painting portrays two contrasts of the city, the slums and the high rise buildings. There is also half a figure of a migrant whose shendi (tuft of hair) on his bald head mirrors the TV antennas sticking out from the roof of the slums.
Sanjeev says, “I view art through the common man’s eyes, what his/her perspective is on life. All my figures are halves as I’m not giving or receiving the complete picture. It’s about certain disgust and dissatisfaction. The fragmentation is about conflicts, dualism and incompleteness. We call Mumbai the ‘city of dreams’, but when you listen to people’s voices they have another story filled with injustice and discrimination. However, I stay here
because it’s also a city filled with energy, happiness and culture.”
Sanjeev doesn’t buy into the whole idea of capitalism and consumerism. He believes that the art industry today is only about money and not about talent or art. “I love art, but do not approve of the hierarchies and dualisms that prevail in the system,” explains Sanjeev. Yet, he respects businessman Harsh Goenka because Harsh is passionate about art and buys works that appeal to him regardless of whether they are a good investment.
Sanjeev’s new series of work titled About Blank comprises photographic work, paintings, text and three dimensional works too. Sanjeev explains, “The work tries to engage the viewer with the concepts of dissociation and to look into the aspect of undoable damage and the weirdness of greed.”
When asked what inspires him Sanjeev replied, “I do not paint the image of the urban landscape because I like skyscrapers or paint a beautiful green landscape with naturalness to represent that the world is still not facing an ecological threat. What inspires me is how we as a society have been treating life, assuming ‘all is well,’ and that to be apathetic is cool.”
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