An Insider’s Tale

As you enter gallery Exhibit 320,you are presented with an array of flowers and fruits,neatly framed and documented in a manner reminiscent of the British Raj. Inside the gallery are large photorealist paintings that capture a cockfight in vivid detail,a line of Gerry Cans waiting in line for water or fuel and the quintessential image of rural India — that of a man and his bicycle,a young boy,presumably his son perched on the handlebar and a large bunch of coconuts tied to the carrier.

These images are rendered by the skilful and empathetic brush of artist Muktinath Mondol for his solo “Fresh from Tulia”. Although we have seen many such images of rural India,what makes Mondol’s work different is that he does not visit tradition as an outsider,rather he captures it and paints it as an insider’s tale. It is a tale of changing memories and his attempt is not to sentimentalise but to put these memories in sharp contrast with his current surroundings,the city of Baroda.

Tulia here is Muktinath’s home. Located somewhere between the bursting metropolis of Kolkata and Kharagpur – a township centered on a prestigious engineering college,railways and an Air Force base,electricity is yet to reach Tulia. The town is his muse and he brings out the poignancy of this basic infrastructural short coming with an installation,a mound of mud,with lanterns buried in it.

“Increasingly I have been playing within the zones between myths and realities,in an attempt to find a narrative context for my works. This helps me to invade the sensibilities of my largely urban audience,” says the artist.

On till November10. Contact 46130637