A dialogue with Bapu

Dodiya,who is one of the most recognised artists in India today,says that ever since he read the book,he has wanted to translate this work into paintings. And today,five years on,the Bako Exists. Imagine series is complete and on display at Chemould Prescott Road,Fort,in Mumbai,till September 20.

For many years,Gandhi has been a recurring figure in Dodiya’s works. In 1999,he did a memorable series of watercolours called An Artist of Non-Violence,at a time when,he says,violence was everywhere. “When I did the series,I was thinking to myself. There’s so much violence,terror and hatred in the world right now. Gandhi’s ideology would be so useful at a time like this.” Apart from this series,his beautiful portraits of the Mahatma on roller shutters also received a great deal of recognition. The 52-year-old artist attributes some of this fascination with the Father of the Nation to the fact that his own family is from the same town as Gandhi,Saurashtra in Gujarat. Although he grew up in Mumbai,Dodiya went to a Gujarati-medium school,which meant that he was surrounded by Gandhi’s teachings.

This series of 12 paintings — done with oil,watercolour,acrylic,oil bar and marble dust on black canvas to look like text on a blackboard — and an installation with nine wooden cabinets,he says,are very different from his previous work referencing Gandhi. For one,these paintings are his translation of a pre-existing text. Besides,this series is a much happier sort,he says,unlike the 1999 series. The young boy,Bako,and Gandhi talk of things varying from whistles to shadows,busts of Gandhi to politics,and everything in between. As Dodiya says,“They are talking about things that are quite ordinary.” Yet,it becomes rather evident through the course of the paintings that there exists a definite camaraderie between the two.

The installation takes on a more personal form. “These are wooden cabinets that relate to the young boy,and are autobiographical in a manner,” he says. Inside these cabinets are photographs and other items,most of which hold special meaning for the artist.