The artist used discarded refrigerator compressors to tell a tale around human faces.
Ever since his childhood, artist Narayan Sinha was quite upfront about his thoughts. Born in Birbhum, Nalhati in West Bengal, he didn't knew what being politically correct meant and that a face represents multiple faces. But things changed when he moved to Kolkata. With the taste of urban life, he realised there is so much of façade.
“I loved the human touch that I received in Kolkata but somewhere I was lost. I realised that people wore multiple faces. They say something and do something else. It was impossible to decipher someone’s thoughts,” he says.
This thought led him to create an artwork ‘Faces’ that he recently showcased at the India Art Fair 2023. He used discarded refrigerator compressors, which he sourced from different cities, to tell a tale around human faces.
He explains, “There are 105 masks in this artwork. I used refrigerator compressors as the base of the artwork and faux fur, wood, rubber and copper as other materials.”
Though there is symmetry in his work, making the artwork wasn’t a cakewalk. The artist agrees that sourcing the material was a tedious task.
“The compressors were collected over a period of time. I was in touch with scrap dealers and garage owners in Calcutta, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Though I sourced most of the materials, I also sculpted some as per my need,” he shares.
After collecting the materials, Sinha cleaned them for their final use. Though Sinha’s journey as an artist started in the year 2000 with watercolours, he realised his inclination towards metals due to his family business.
“I think it was my father’s automobile business that led me to this path. Being an artist, I wanted to connect with my father’s work. I am glad to find the language of using scrap metal and it has now become my world,” he shares.
Sinha has also been a regular participant at the India Art Fair. But his participation this year makes him feel ‘complete’ as an artist.
“Unlike previous editions, where only one or two works of mine were chosen, I was able to showcase my complete collection this year at the art fair,” he says.
Besides ‘Faces’, Sinha showcased five other works using stone, metal and wood. The entire collection was titled as ‘New Leaf’, which were a part of the Iram Art Gallery’s booth.