Worth his salt

Reji examines the relationship between the subaltern within the larger network of society. He captures the common man in his everyday tasks with a lyrical sensitivity that pushes the mundane to centre-stage. The proletariat,their families and their life situations are central to his work.

“I call this show Pinch of Salt because it is one of the most common and important ingredients while cooking a meal. It is there in every recipe and yet it is marginalised,sidelined to the corner,because it is so common. This is the metaphor that I like to use to talk of other issues,like people who have been sidelined in society,” says the 35-year-old. “Another pun on the phrase is that people are often told to take something serious with a pinch of salt—in other words not to pay heed to it. This is the game we often play with each other,” he chuckles.

His works are not as straightforward as one would believe. Besides making a comment on class,Reji also weaves in a gender play and subtle eroticism between the male and female protagonist. In the painting,after which the show is named,we see a nude man and a woman sitting across each other in a forest clearing. There is a fire blazing between them and a pot upon the fire. There is no coincidence in the placement of these objects between the two and the mise-en-scene,of the child and cat that play a side role in this heavily suggestive painting.

Another work which is tilted To move a mountain plays on the displacement of rag-pickers who have been forced to leave their home. Reji’s ties with his home are quite secure. “I keep in touch with my roots in Kerala,” concludes the artist who believes this show has clarity and style.