Art Exposure deserves our praise for allowing promising young artists to hold exhibitions at the gallery even if they have not matured. Viraj Khanna’s exhibition of collages, paintings and sculptures with the sassy title of What My Mother Didn’t Teach Me (March 14-22) held in The Loft of Quest Mall was one such — the young artist does not lack imagination but he depends largely on borrowed ideas. Living in a bubble, as it were, he seems to be out of touch with the disturbing and violent ground realities of India.
In his statement he claims he grew “up surrounded by... textiles and embroidery.” If Khanna means the Indian fashion industry, surely his inadequacies can be traced to the latter’s failure to come to terms with the country’s socio-economic realities.
There is no consistency between Khanna’s paintings and collages and his fibreglass sculptures. The latter with their loud, contrasting colours depict hybrids and seem to be inspired by popular culture. That is not a crime, but what is the rationale behind them? Humanoid machines, the blue bovine with a human head donning shades, the donut wearing liberty spikes, the bloated, botoxed mouths, the cutouts, the elephant head with multiple arms sporting a sarong have little in common with his paintings with their bright, slathered pigments against dark backgrounds. Different personalities seem to be operating within his head. His works catch the eye as he tries hard to be funky but don’t make any lasting impression. An artist is free to work in any which way or medium he or she desires. But even when one is breaking rules, one should be clear-headed about it. One cannot strike out in different directions at the same time like a lawn sprinkler.
Khanna’s collages have a cogency that his other works lack. These are obviously composed of paper he cut out of magazines and books. He creates smart, humorous images with odds and ends, fashion accessories and cutouts of body parts. Young as he is, Khanna needs to broaden his vision and make an effort to get out of the groove.