The world within: Nityan Unnikrishnan

Nityan Unnikrishnan’s works have two major features. Firstly, they seek inspiration from philosopher Michel Foucault’s concept of Heterotopia, which is defined as sites that somehow mirror and at the same time distort, unsettle or invert other spaces. Here, people and objects as seen in one world are placed in a diametrically opposite world. Secondly, they are full of intricate details. So, on one hand, you see Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Michelangelo’s David (a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture) in different surroundings, while on the other hand, you see prominent buildings such as Jama Masjid and Antilla standing askew. These are the hallmarks of his works that are currently on display as part of his new exhibition, The Way Out at the Colaba-based art gallery Chatterjee & Lal. Apart from the oil on acrylic paintings, the artist, who is a graduate in industrial design, has also created ceramic sculptures after a decade-long gap. In a Q&A, he talks about how self-realisation influenced these works…

What is your exhibition The Way Out all about?

I suddenly realised that I am a middle-aged man. My hair is gone and my knees hurt and I see the makings of a grumpy old man in the near future. The books I have been reading in the last few years have not helped matters. And what I read in the papers every day has made it much, much worse. And then there is the small world that I call my own, my friends, family. That is also dwindling in numbers, with people only growing older. So, that is what it is about.

Why the title?

Imagine having a simple thought or an image in your mind and going with it to where it takes you. That is more or less the idea behind the name — a thought or an idea as a point of departure.

How long did it take to work on these pieces? What are the new things that you have attempted in this show?

Roughly two years, while doing a few other things in between. I painted on cloth using acrylic for the first time. Also, I got back to ceramics after almost 10 years, and that was special.

Everything is Beautiful; (right) Dressing

What prompted you to get inspired by personalities for putting together these pieces?

I have an interest in the present and the world we live in, so I had to have an interest in the past. I use events and people as anchors or resting places, to create a sub-story or to take a new route in a work. So, it is not just personalities, there are also places, buildings and objects that I use as resting points in order to take off again.

What were the challenges that you faced while working on these pieces?

I trained to be an industrial designer, not an artist. So this time when I got back to ceramics for my sculptures, it was a new place to be in, to think of form, details and hardware, surface finishes and so on like I used to do 10 years ago. And then to suddenly realise that I am using all those things for something completely different in terms of what the final object meant for, though those were not challenges, it was more like an excitement.

The Way Out is on at Chatterjee & Lal till April 27, 2019 from 11 am-7 pm.