ANUJAN EZHIKODE
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My infusion from an early age into the everyday religious, folk and theater rituals of India has left a colorful residue in me. It has become an ongoing reminder of my own vernacular space. Even the most utilitarian aspects of these ephemera, the simple object, fragmented color, musicality, and play of light, have surfaced to be part of my aesthetic.
I started my box series to catalog these simple images. Painting on discarded empty household goods boxes, originally just a recycling plan, I came to want the duality that the commercially printed logos and lettering brought to the work.
As I paint, there is a continual process of images being removed, regrouped, or overlaid to correct the balance between the image and the negative space. Often I leave the under layers exposed, as a visual map of my course. Some works have bare backgrounds to invoke an orderly tension. I continue to explore ways of creating, spatial expression and controlled motion using identifiable, organic, and simple forms in a personal setting.
My works on paper are quite different than works on canvas because the material dictates the result and it is more direct and true to the moment. The pieces are smaller and this constrained space forces out a precise expression.
In installation the selection of the materials is as important as the subject matter. I like to use fragile objects to create a transient and ephemeral environment. Theater, ritual, and art combine to form a contemporary setting. Past and present join in unison.