Tapping Water

A collector of water from different sources, Manish Pushkale mixes a few drops into his colours.

talk, delhi talk, art, art exhibition, Manish Pushkale, water collector, Museum of Unknown Memories, Akar Prakar gallery

These paintings have their genesis in those unknown memories which later on became my real, tactile experiences, says Pushkale.

Water from the Volga in Russia is dipped into his palette, as is the holy water from the Ganga. In Manish Pushkale’s frames water from different continents and climates are given a hue. “Water carries memory and identity of that particular source, location and tradition. This gave me the idea to use them, by providing them paint and plane, an imaginary confluence. These works became important to me because the whole history of ‘water-colour’ is about celebration of colour, whereas in my studio it became a celebration of water,” says Manish Pushkale. In the exhibition “Museum of Unknown Memories”, the Delhi-based artist documents what he sees in the form of archaeo-scribes. “It is not about reality. It is about realisation and the arrival of that realisation,” says the artist, about the 24 abstracts on display at Akar Prakar gallery in Delhi.

The set of works created during the last five years draws from Pushkale’s conversations with his grandfather, where he had advised him to mix water from different sources as a sacred act, a symbolic union. “In the memory of this saying, since the last 23 years, I have been collecting water from the places I have visited so far,” says the artist, who showcased select work from the series in 2011 in a group show at the Miami-Basel art fair. “The works were presented by known Parisian gallerist Hélène Lamarque. Personally, it was very encouraging to see my works next to masters like Damien Hirst and Anish Kapoor, under the same banner,” says Pushkale, who completed his masters in art from Art College, Bhopal. Known from a subdued colour palette, the current set of works is no different — from the indigos merging with whites, to subtle crimson fading into browns.

vandana.kalra@expressindia.com

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