Young at Art

Artist Sun Robin work titled Ghuttan

Artist Sun Robin aspires to “become the biggest artist in the universe and leave a mark on the world”. The artist was recently awarded the Punjabi Lalit Kala Akademi award for his mixed-media work Ghuttan, made in an hour on a whiteboard surface. The composition, he says, began with a sketch pen portrait of a local model. Not satisfied with what he had made, he decided to douse it with water. The outcome surprised the artist. “I was in a tight spot emotionally. It was as if my own feelings entered the painting” says Robin. Through the work, he attempts to depict “universal suffocation”. To preserve the work, he has coated it with watercolours and other dyes.

Artist Sun Robin

The Chandigarh-based artist shares that receiving the Lalit Kala Akademi award was momentous. “I burst into tears when I got the call,” he says. However, he feels, the award is a great “starting point” for him. It was only after completing his degree in civil engineering that he decided to enter the world of fine art. “I could not see myself doing a desk job,” says Robin. He adds that for a year and a half his father did not know that he was studying art at Government College of Art, Chandigarh. Even now, his father is not convinced about his career choice. “He has softened his stance but does question me at times,” says Robin, who likes working with varied mediums. He also wants to limit the wastage in art and prefers using natural dyes and different kinds of paints. “There is colour in everything,” he says. Through this alternative approach to art, Robin hopes to inspire the youth to start discovering their own artistic inclinations.