He grew up in an industrial environment and his father owned automobile factories. In the dusty, cacophonous surroundings, artist Narayan Sinha found beauty in mechanical mediums and was inspired to reimagine life through them.

As his latest solo exhibition of installations 'Imbue' opens at India Habitat Centre on April 27, showcasing diverse metallic and stone sculptural forms made from recycled found material, he says that it is a celebration of life and positivity after a period of several emotional lows.

"Post my 'Firelight' series that had negative overtones, I wanted to celebrate life through this one as the pandemic had taught me to live in the moment. This exhibition is a consequence of that sentiment".

Considering Sinha's last exhibition 'Firelight' was held in an old Kolkata mansion at Queens Park where the sculptural installations created a unique presence in the space, the artist says art galleries also work as facilitators to take art into newer spaces.

"By exhibiting in an old bungalow, I was trying to highlight the fact that ultimately nature engulfs all that we create for our pleasure and pride. What we spend a lifetime creating is so insignificant in the larger scheme of things. We as a society need to reflect on this."

Stressing that his work always embraces nature in its diverse forms, which in turn leads to respecting our own natural identity, he adds, "My work is organic by nature. Nuances of life attract me and I love to play with scale. My sculptures must always be relatable to the common man and therefore natural, found, recycled materials find prominence in my work. The common man makes it a conversation piece because they identify with it."

Talking about the last two years, Sinha says that the pandemic taught him humility and introduced him to the fact that we do not have control over things.

"In short, it is important to live in the moment and be happy that we are. We were taken unawares when the pandemic hit us. I was in Nalhati village in West Bengal with my daughter, and there was no medical facility available. We were all struck by the virus and the only healing available was nature. For my daughter, all I had was the sunlight's natural vitamin D, basil leaves, and honey."

While the lockdowns demonstrated that the country needed more private art bodies and foundations to support artists, Sinha feels that it is also high time to empower the state bodies.

"This is so better infrastructure and incentives can be provided to young artists, and they feel sheltered and cared for," concludes the artist, who is set to work on some international projects soon. (AA/IANS)