Where the mind is led forward by Gutka, Cigarettes and Brandy

This blog is about my experimental artworks using Gutka wrappers, cigarette boxes, and more recently, brandy.

This work is not meant for anti-tobacco or anti-liquor campaigns. We are not promoting consumption; I remain neutral. The majority of the population knows the evils of these substances yet still consumes them. It is their discretion whether to lead a healthy life or risk premature death. This work is not intended for eco-friendly goods or upcycled art groups; there are already plenty of shops in metropolitan areas dealing with them. My concerns prevent me from traveling. I am a cultural person and hate to be viewed as a supplier by agents and shop owners. I dislike others selling my goods, not only for commercial reasons, but because if I sell them myself, I can explain the exact reasons for which I created that work of art effectively.

This writer has conducted several experiments with 'unholy' substances in the art domain. He has used a potty cleaning brush as a tool and, on other occasions, used fabric blue liquid, Harpic solution, etc. While prominent individuals, including Padma Vibhushan awardees, have written special testimonials for him, there are others who have plagiarized his concepts and even incorporated them into Bollywood and other regional movies. The writer prefers not to elaborate further in this context.

All of these cigarette box works and gutka cover works are either miniatures or rather tiny-scale artworks. The brandy series is purely digital. Brandy has no staining capacity, so I have to spill brandy on a white plastic board and shoot the photo using my mobile phone. I pour brandy on the plastic board using a squeeze bottle. Modifications have been made with a computer to make the images more interesting. I can sell them as prints or as digital copies when I achieve substantial artistic results. Unlike this my cigarette boxes and gutka wrapper works, the technique is straightforward, I have used Posca markers and Permanent markers of various colours on the base.

The core idea behind creating them is a passive form of protest against certain practices within the art community. Making large paintings is expensive. Even after completing them, the artist has to cover exhibition and other marketing costs. We know materials are expensive, and when framing and transportation charges are added, it becomes almost impossible to sell at affordable prices. Untruly construed, popular thought is that a big painting is always considered a good painting. To attain mastery in larger paintings, the practitioner has to put in a lot of effort. The client pays only for the painting that the artist creates for them, but not for the effort involved. Good artists make art as a series, the clients just buy a few, and rest remain unsalable, thereby causing the interest loss for the capital.

My income from art is zero. I have sold my ancestral property and deposited the money in banks. I receive a meager income from interest as only source of inflow. A small portion of money that I use for art is the remnant of what has been spent on our daily living. The unconventional art on gutka, brandy,  cigarette cases  and sometimes on bits of art papers doesn't deprive me of much of my money, notwithstanding the fact that the market for them is also zero

I have little exposure to the art world, particularly nothing beyond the rat hole called Madras. The gallerists, critics, and collectors are anti-pathbreaking experiments. With my humble knowledge, the virtual communities and online art trading sites are not any better.

It is a current trend among traders and buyers to acquire a collection of deceased artists' works for a song via their offspring, who are often remotely connected to the art. The body of work is sent for traveling exhibitions and sold at high prices, which is very depressing to note.

Consequently, this series of strange but curious paintings have come into existence and awaits your attention and patronage. It goes without saying that the intoxicating kick givers are condemned in our municipal trash cans. If you like the article please share among like minded friends. The gallery of artworks follow this write-up.

Thank you for reading and for the feedback.

Cigarette Box Art

Gutka Wrapper Art

With Brandy