Pandemic and the artist: Revisiting the 'here', with a touch of humour

Detail from 'Light brought by rats', on show at the Vadehra Art Gallery, Delhi.

What makes the works of artist N.S. Harsha distinctive? Is it the linear arrangements on the canvases? Is it the portrayal of the crises we go through in our lives? Or, is it, as Gayathri Sinha, art critic and curator, notes: ‘…a manner of painting, which has to be read rather than viewed’? In the backdrop of his ongoing solo show NS Harsha: Stomach Studio at the Vadehra Art Gallery in New Delhi, the artist says it best: “I enjoy when ‘Art’ occupies the driver seat of ‘perception’ not the artist.” In short, it is open to interpretation.

But before the perception comes the creation. The new body of works have been done during the pandemic and that’s the imagery which is reflected and repeated. There is visual flatness but the viewer is reeled into the depths of the work through its imagery.

In a striking work, Emission Test, there are 140 figures populating the large canvas in a grid of ten rows. Seventy of them are the all too familiar healthcare professionals in their blue protective suits. Sitting on seventy plastic chairs are the other seventy figures, humans from all walks of life as well as monkeys, cows and lions undergoing the RT PCR test. The work is fun, reflective and a testimony of the present time.

Emission test by NS Harsha

Harsha talks of such moments that he has crystallised. Commenting on the work titled ‘Light brought by rats’, he says, the painting touches on the idea of ‘interspecies’ dialogue. “During the early days of the pandemic, there were many mentions of ‘dark times’ because of the situation. So ‘light’ was a much-needed source to walk out of the challenging situation. I felt ‘lab rats’ could be one of the vehicles for this journey towards light.  So, I decided to create a landscape of rats and lamps.”

Light brought by rats by NS Harsha

That’s the way all the works roll – as panels of repeating vistas which are mini stories forming the whole.

Harsha describes his painting process as going after a form until he internalizes it into his mind and hand (for fluency). During his formative years, he was inspired by the repetitions in temple architecture and minimal music. Simultaneously, he got interested in the ‘science of repetition’.

“Perhaps these engagements formulated my practice. Once I broadly know the structure and subjectivity of a painting, I let my hand and memory work in balance to create a series of events and happenings. Then if the structures become too linear, convincing or meaningful, I break this flow with certain unrelated intuitional painterly interventions. Many times, I too get surprised what pops up in this ‘auto flow’ of images from mind to a canvas surface!” he says.

In the panoramic gaze one can experience a collection of sub narratives forming into a meta narrative. Bengaluru-based artist Naveen Kumar recalls the time when Harsha did a workshop at his alma mater, Ken School of Art, on how artists could look around at a subject for painting. “I have looked his works for a long time closely and I feel like every single figure in his works is expressive with emotions and the works themselves are laced with political satire. But the sense of humour astounds me.”

Periodical visit of god particles (2021) by NS Harsha

Born and based out of Mysuru, Harsha believes that all artistic journeys are in one way or another related to the ‘time and place’ of artistic practice: “Sometimes the idea of ‘location’ in itself becomes a focal point. ‘Here’ is highly related to the context in which the dialogue is taking shape.” So, ‘here’ could be as specific as the city he was born in or as expansive as being on earth in relation to the cosmos. Fun fact: one of his works, Come give us a Speech (2008), has 2,000 figures in six panels.

Finally, I ask Harsha about the title of the show. “Where did that come from?”

He, in turn, shares an anecdote: Once, he took a friend from Australia to his studio and then to his home for lunch. “Mom was standing in the kitchen and asked where we had been that morning. I replied we were just coming back from the studio. She immediately turned to my friend and said, ‘Welcome to my stomach studio’. She hardly speaks English but sometimes she makes two words come together beautifully. This phrase ‘Stomach Studio’ has been in my memory since years. One of the paintings in the show is also titled ‘Stomach Studio’ which revolves around the surreal cooking events and perhaps a cooking class which has gone wild.”

Stomach Studio by NS Harsha