Artist Akshay Raj Singh Rathore believes in ecology. Vegetable dyes, turmeric, leftover cabbage, recycled paper—he has employed all of these in his current show to convey his idea of re-purposing and the conscious act of practicing frugality. In one untitled series, conte on paper, there are small circles that symbolise the globe which is slowly cracking. The brown and white conte on paper shows there are sparks and smoke everywhere.
Rathore's practice is premised on realities of the ground. It grows from under the ground and extends all the way up to the glamourized constructions over it. Rathore wants to convey the thoughtlessness of unsustainable modes of agriculture driven towards meeting the demands of the market. He is also keen on portraying the dangers of rampant and rapid urbanisation. He brings to the viewer's attention the menace of packaged consumerism which has stories of inequality, exploitation and colossal abuse.
"Coming from a farming background, I have managed to crisscross a large tract of dry land where water is dear and life revolves around this precious commodity. This precarious position has created a culture of extreme frugality," says Rathore. "Yet a long term practice of enjoying nature in its pure form has creamed the thought with ideas of existence. It is this idea where life revolves around the concept of spiritual conquest which is reproduced in the current body of works," he says.
Rathore moved to France from India around four years ago. During this period, he witnessed a great deal of societal upheaval in both the countries. The exhibition unfurls his thought process and practice in those four years. Anything that might be disposable is employed to realize his vision for the show. He uses mats or packaging paper from Parisian boulangeries, restaurant bills, etc., His studio becomes a kitchen where he prepares pigments or stains by boiling and infusing vegetables like cabbage. These pigments transform into abstract drawings on paper. Rathore also uses ink, ball point pens, spray paint and charcoal to create paintings that have remained with him or been passed on to others. This reaffirms the idea of replenishment. Of form, medium and content; "a robust fecundity resembling a lush, post-monsoonal harvest."
The artist has worked with a variety of mediums over the years, including painting, sculptural installations, videos, performance-based social experiments, clay, mud, barbed wire and steel. He is also in the process of developing video games into an art form.
His works have previously been shown at Les Maisons du Voyage in Paris and Sullivan Galleries at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has been part of several residencies including KHOJ and Pro Helvetia—Swiss Arts Council. He currently lives and works in Paris.
'un-practiced frugality: Recent works by Akshay Raj Singh Rathore' is on view at Gallery Espace in Delhi till April 27.
