A Modern Dystopia

Have we ever wondered, what will happen if we destroy our surroundings to such an extent that our natural habitat will completely change? Artist Preetha Kannan, whose new solo show Gaia Reloaded is on display in Mumbai, attempts to answer this poser. She paints her vision of how life on earth will be after humans have completely destroyed it with their intervention. Using scrap materials in her installations and including images of plane tyres, night lamps, pianos, robotic hands, machine parts and more in her paintings, Kannan tries to bring out a view of the world we are heading for with our constant meddling. As the press note for the show asks, ‘Nature will keep reloading, but can humanity reload?’

5 Questions with the artist, Preetha Kannan

1. Artistic Motivations “Questions about the world we live in motivates me to create art.”
2. Inspirations “Monet and the entire impressionist school…Cezanne, Matisse and Kandinsky.”
3. On the wall at home “On my present wishlist: Peter Doig, Robert Rauschenberg, and of course, the impressionists.”
4. Concerns that find a place in your art “Everything we take for granted, every facet of contemporary human activity pollutes earth, air and water so much so that, perhaps one day the destruction of the habitat will go so far that life will have to adapt and evolve to survive in the new environment…”
5. If I wasn’t an artist I would be…“An activist on issues involving ecology and issues regarding the status of women.”

Gaia Reloaded is on display at Gallery Beyond, Mumbai (30/132, First Floor, Great Western Building, Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort) until March 26, 2015.