Mumbai:
Inspired by notions of immigration and aspirations of people in Punjab, young artist duo, Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra, recently launched an exhibition in Mumbai's Famous Studios, as part of Escape, an on-going show since 2007.
Thukral & Tagra's background in design, graphics and advertising influences their art. In 2005 when Peter Nagy, co-founder of Nature Morte, discovered the two, he recognised that this blend made them stand apart amongst the contemporary Indian artists. From designing the Bose DK T-shirts, their first exhibition was an installation where Nagy reminisces they went "nuts" designing a patterned vinyl flooring, flavoured vodka and the t-shirts in jars. The partnership between gallery and artist was established.
International success and fame followed the duo everywhere, but T&T's art remained rooted in issues close to their home in Punjab. Hot air balloons, soft pink and blue skies, detailed tree houses and a gigantic pigeon on display at the exhibition titled 'Q'. These are part of a larger story of middle class Punjabi aspirations and the dream of immigration. The characters in the paintings reflect the universality of these concerns affecting every household across the region. The stories were also put together in the form of a book, also titled 'Q', and launched at the show.
Increasingly artists like Thukral and Tagra are making works sensitive to issues rooted in the homeland but which speak a global language, where the personal becomes the political and social.