“This show is a representation of my internal struggle with discipline, constrictions, liberation and humour. I have always considered my art to be constant navigation between realism and abstraction mixed with a sense of dystopian existence,” he tells IANS.
Adding that throughout his career as a visual artist, he has experimented with a wide array of mediums, which have resulted in experimenting with different styles, thus no stagnation, he remembers,
“When the pandemic hit and we were locked inside our rooms, I tried to rediscover my roots and went back to my sketchbooks on which I used to doodle on during some of my most turbulent times, this situation of being trapped was very similar to what I was going through before I<br>became an artist, there was a sense of crippling nostalgia powered by a strong sense of achievement. So I decided to use this feeling and project it in a very visual way, by taking the same concepts and scaling them up into bigger canvases, making the very things that<br>haunted me a commodity for others to experience, adore and capitalise on.”
He adds that the only thing that remained constant was the use of the colour black.
“It was the same feeling yet it was not the same, as I had grown as an individual with layers of experiences, hence I removed a letter from the word ‘black’ and named my show ‘BLCK’ with an ‘inverted C’ as a homage to change, growth and human folly. ‘BLCK’ is an extension of my turbulent existence and the contentment it brings to me.”
Originally from Assam and now living in Mumbai, Hazarika says that he will remain the eternal outsider as a part of him is always in his home state.
“Though I have been welcomed here, being an outsider gives me a whole new perspective.”
A new-age artist in this era of digital art and cryptocurrencies, Hazarika, whose first NFT<br>(Non-Fungible Token) got sold in a record time of 37 seconds on India’s largest NFT market (Wazir X) feels that they are a big part of the future of not just art but also how we consume and utilise any form of visual asset and digital experience.
Stressing that they are a precursor to what is coming for us in the future, he adds, “It is blurring the lines between digital and physical ownership, which is slowly seeping into our everyday life in one form or the other. India has huge potential in the field of NFTs, we already have a strong community already involved in this field. We are actually developing more blockchain technology in India itself, which will be launched in the next few months.”
A self-taught artist, he does not really miss going to an art school, believing that he was able to cultivate his unique style at an early stage just because he never went to one.
“This journey without a guide has rather been quite turbulent, but an exciting one. I guess I would not be who I am if I had gone to an art school.”
For Hazarika, the Covid-19 pandemic has been a mixed experience — suffocating but also introspective.
“This exhibition is an outcome of these times. While I found love during the pandemic, at the same time lost a lot of people to it. Finding creativity was tough as you are constantly trying to be sane and survive.”
The artist now wants to explore the realm of NFTs and metaverse further, increase his reach to a whole new set of audiences, collaborate with more creative people across the world and get into fashion and motion media.
“And most importantly grow as an artist and conquer every other medium that exists or even better creates a new one,” concludes Hazarika, whose introduction to art was with comic books.
–IANS
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