Ranjan Kaul’s 2023 painting Phake Neuj is a highly effective demonstration of the kind of ‘suspended animation’ great art leaves the viewer with. Here, a bespectacled senior citizen (the glasses are a psychological trick, to imbue the subject with ‘trustworthiness’) is reading a newspaper called ‘Phake Neuj’. A friend of his is peeking into the paper curiously — signalling the inevitable spread of falsehoods. A third figure, of whom we can only see their legs, has put their feet as they consume the latest IPL match, ignoring the “breaking news” chyron at the bottom of the screen. There’s so much going on here that works as a straightforward indictment of India’s media ecosystem and yet, the overall effect is that of an urgent whisper in the dark. This rather striking work is indicative of the artist’s ability to discuss serious issues with a light touch.
Phake Neuj is part of Within, Without, Kaul’s fifth solo exhibition, currently on display at Delhi’s Visual Arts Gallery, at the India Habitat Centre. Curated by artist and art critic Georgina Maddox, the show brings together works from the last six years that reflect “the complexities of contemporary times”. While the emphasis is on issues pertaining to Indian society, even the standalone works have a strong sense of narrative, crafting a story around an Indian socio-political theme.
“Hybrid identities have always fascinated me. I am born to a Kashmiri father and a Marathi mother, so I too have a hybrid identity of sorts,” Kaul says, during a video interview. “I am primarily a figurative artist. So, if you see my paintings like Myrmidons and others, I have used human-animal hybrid figures to present my point of view.” The painting he is referring to is a watercolour he made in 2018, that is also part of the exhibition.
