Artist Statement

As an artist, my main concerns are perception and reality. In my experience, what one perceives and what “is” can often be two absolutely different things. My work is an effort to bridge the gap between the two. Sometimes the genesis of a piece is the object itself; at other times, the beginnings are more philosophical than physical. In the Oblique series, I went to a local Mumbai market and picked 40 items that had a certain graphic quality. Once that was done, I anointed each object with a history, philosophy and a good dash of humor. Thus were born 19 stories of 19 things. On the other hand, the Virtually Untouchable series was born out of the idea of the duality of our existence. On the face of it, the butterfly is a simple symbol of innocent beauty, but on closer examination, you discover its body has been fashioned out of a glistening, cold, dagger. Therefore, beauty and danger coexist in the same, very thing.

My role in the creative process is also that of a student. During the journey of creating my sculptures, I also learn: about the place of human beings in the larger scheme of things, about spirituality, desire, human limitations and our frailty. Each creation improves and increases the expectations of what comes after it.

Perfection is very important to me, but prettiness is not. It is imperative that the work be backed by absolute logic, and is interpreted in such a way that the final outcome is technically perfect but minimal and sophisticated. Therefore, it is crucial to find the right fabric. To my mind, the marriage of philosophy, technique, aesthetics and material is the foundation of my creative process. An essential element of my sculptures is also the technical skill of the experts that I work with. While canvases are a solitary effort, science-based sculptural creations, which have to be aesthetically perfect and structurally sound, require a skillful combination of engineering and art.

For me, each work is an endeavor to understand the contemporary world a little better, and to decode the mysteries.

Sunil Gawde