Artist B Ajay Sharma courts his long-drawn fascination for death in his work

Artist B Ajay Sharma courts his long-drawn fascination for death and dying in a new body of work.

Contrary to blue-tinted cyanotypes, these images have coffee and tea tones to them.

Ever since I can remember, the fear of death, the thought of afterlife and the mystery of the soul has haunted me,” says B Ajay Sharma, artist and initiator of Syah Ghar Foto Studio — a project pivoting on alternative photography. In a cyanotype called Phenomena of separation, Sharma is lying in the foreground as the ghats of Varanasi and the cityscape serve as the backdrop for his performance photograph. As he lies unclothed and seemingly lifeless, earthen pots — like those used during Hindu funeral rites — surround him. This and other such cyanotypes join a bunch of paintings and video installations in the multimedia show titled “Thanatophobia.”

Influenced by Osho’s teachings on death, the Delhi-based artist talks about how the acceptance of death is a life process. “Rituals, religion and science are there because of the fear and apprehension of death. Through this body of work, I wanted to take a contemporary look at this universal fear,” says the 28-year-old artist. Originally from Deoghar, Jharkhand, Sharma holds a degree in Fine Arts from Banaras Hindu University and has done his Masters from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi.

Though he doesn’t consider himself a performance artist, many of his prints have him as an essential element. For instance, a polyptych titled Transformation of energy sees Sharma in all the frames, interacting with the elements of nature. Hung upside down, in one of the panels Sharma is kneeling over an expansive red cloth coursing out of the framed print. In another panel, Sharma is draped in white and standing in the Ganga, his stance meant to hint at being born from water, or becoming one with it.

Explaining his preference for cyanotypes over digital photography, Sharma says since the whole process of printing has to be done manually, it adds to the air of mystery and drama in his work. Contrary to the usual blue-feel to cyanotype prints, Sharma’s images have coffee and tea tones to them.

“There is always an uncertainty about the final tone and image in such cyanotypes. The weather conditions — temperature and humidity — also play a part; I like to play with this uncertainty,” he says.

Sharma is exploring the concept of the exhibition further at a two-month long art residency in Spain.

The exhibition is on at Wonderwall, F-213B, First Floor, Lado Sarai, till October 31,

11 am to 7 pm.
Contact: 46512768

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