Origins

Pradeep Kumar’s exhibition Origins was held recently at the Centre d’Art in Citadines. Pradeep Kumar might work with a mostly monochrome palette, but the first thing that strikes the viewer of his multidisciplinary artworks is their intense originality. 

Pradeep hails from a branch of the Lambani tribe located in the neighbouring state of Karnataka. He incorporates Lambani decorative elements and narrative forms into his artworks, but with a contemporary twist. For example, many of his pen and ink artworks are dominated by a large animal or human figure rendered in a folk art style, interwoven with finely drawn depictions of daily life in India. The latter elements have something of a whimsical ‘pop culture’ feel, but often with a magic-realist or esoteric twist. For example, figures may be half-human, half-beast, or traveling through a dense urban landscape on a prosaic motorbike, or effortlessly airborne. Distinctions between urban and rural contexts are not always clear – scenes full of activity suggest both an earthiness and otherworldliness. The symbolism draws from a wide net, from tribal imagery and mainstream Hindu culture, to global pop culture. Some characters appear to be physically connected in ways that suggest an intimate heart connection, but is that a material device that connects them, or a strange morphing of anatomy?

These are intricate works that draw the eye for deeper examination of their layered symbolism, as the viewer absorbs an intriguing depiction of the parallel existences that humans juggle in contemporary daily life: the metaphysical and the mundane. 

Kumar draws on, and celebrates, the deep tradition of travel that is in his culture. 

The Lambani tribe originally hailed from Rajasthan, but have moved south over the centuries, with some settling in Karnataka. Kumar spends much of his time in Bangalore, and travels for exhibitions and artist residencies. 

For his installations, he uses objects collected on his travels or in the local environment of his artist residencies and exhibitions. In his Centre d’Art exhibition, for example, one installation included charred wood left over from a bonfire at the Matrimandir amphitheater, which was inset with deep red seeds from a local tree. Another art piece used dried gourds hung from the ceiling. He is known to use terracotta roof tiles and slates, or found charcoal for drawing. 

Kumar’s evocative artworks remind us that even as we get caught up in the noises and encounters of daily life, human existence can always retain the possibility of something magical or extraordinary.