BySukant Deepak

February 8, 2022 (IANSlife) 'BLCK,' Santanu Hazarika's debut solo show, will open on February 10 at Mumbai's Art & Soul, and demonstrates a practise derived from creating a visual network of personal histories, video gaming, popular culture, and the ability to draw.

"This show represents my internal struggle with discipline, restraint, liberation, and humour." "I've always thought of my art as a constant balancing act 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 range of mediums, which has resulted in experimenting with different styles, thus no stagnation, he recalls, "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 during some of my most turbulent times, this situation of being trapped was very similar to what I was going through before. So I decided to take advantage of this feeling and by using the same concepts and visualising them, you can project it in a very visual way enlarging them into larger canvases, creating the very things that haunted me as a commodity for others to enjoy, adore, and profit from on.”

He goes on to say that the only constant was the use of the colour black. "It was the same feeling, but it wasn't the same, because I had grown as an individual with layers of experiences, so I took a letter out of the word 'black' and named my show BLCK with an inverted C as an homage to change, growth, and human folly." "BLCK is an extension of my turbulent existence and the happiness it brings me."

Hazarika, who is originally from Assam and now lives in Mumbai, says he will always be an outsider because a part of him is always in his home state. "Although I've been welcomed here, being an outsider gives me a completely different perspective."

A new age artist in this era of digital art and cryptocurrency, Hazarika, whose first NFT (Non-Fungible Token) was sold in a record time of 37 seconds on India's largest NFT market (Wazir X), believes that they are a big part of the future of not just art but also how we consume and use any form of visual asset and digital experience.

He emphasises that they are a foreshadowing of what is to come, saying, "It is blurring the lines between digital and physical ownership, which is slowly seeping into our everyday life in one form or another." India has enormous potential in the field of NFTs, and we already have a large community involved in this field. We are currently developing more blockchain technology in India, which will be released in the coming months."

As a self-taught artist, he does not miss going to art school, believing that he was able to develop his distinct style at a young age because he did not attend one. "This journey without a guide has been turbulent, but exhilarating." "I suppose I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't gone to art school."

The Pandemic has been a mixed experience for Hazarika, both suffocating and introspective. "This exhibition is the result of these times.While I found love during the pandemic, I also lost many people to it. Finding creativity was difficult because you were constantly trying to stay sane and survive."

The artist now wishes to delve deeper into the realms of NFTs and the metaverse, expand his reach to a wider range of audiences, collaborate with more creative people from around the world, and venture into fashion and motion media. "And, most importantly, grow as an artist and conquer every other medium that exists or, better yet, create a new one," Hazarika, whose introduction to art was through comic books, concludes.

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Sukant Deepak can be contacted at sukant.d@ians.in