Drawing Room: Why Santanu Hazarika is inspired by Kunel Gaur’s art
Kunel Gaur’s Kumi series turns geometric shapes and Japanese graphic design into art. Are you getting early 2000s vibes too?
Even among Indian contemporary artists, Kunel Gaur’s work is unique. He mixes design concepts and artistic mediums in a way I haven’t seen before. He plays with a variety of architectural materials: Wood, concrete, resin, metal, acrylic paint, screen printing techniques, glass, electrical equipment. He even works with text, in the form of prose, poetry or both. Much of his work is inspired by the design movements of the 1950s, which saw the flowering functional design and brutalist architecture.
All these elements convene superbly in Gaur’s Kumi series. They’re Japanese-style visuals, reminiscent of the early 2000s (when the internet had just caught the fancy of the masses) but rendered in a combination of acrylic glass sheets with compressed wood.
Gaur gives viewers much to think about. The central figure looks like an animated character. But it is structured and geometric – square face, large rectangular eyes, a small rectangular mouth caught in a surprised expression. Varying hairstyles adorn each head, and the figures are surrounded by the kind of commercial text that you’d see on packaging.
To me, the series emphasises that capitalism and art can go hand-in-hand. The rigid lines fascinate me too, because my own work is so distinct from his. Gaur’s work is form-based; mine is more organic, more free-flowing, detailed, depicting a lot of chaos. His is much more ordered and patterned.
The series also evokes a feeling of nostalgia in me, because, as a child, I would collect empty packets and packages of household items – ointments, deodorants and such. I would tear them apart, lay them flat, and give them a closer look. I was fascinated by their shape! The process of dismantling them let my creativity run wild and helped me create art.
Gaur’s work reminds me of those early fun projects I did. He has captured the early 2000s so well by authentically using the fonts, advertisement style, and product design from that period. The series is very visual. It makes a strong statement.
I first saw Gaur’s art at Mumbai’s Method gallery, and was immediately intrigued by the originality of the works, and the way he effortlessly balanced design and art. I’m inspired by anything that I find challenging. Gaur’s work is so different from my own, that it inspires me to experiment with this structured style too, and I hope to do it someday.
