A Peek Into Sachin Bonde’s Soil Oils

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Kerosene, in vernacular language, simply translates to ‘mitti ka tel’, which in turn, means ‘Soil Oil’. In his solo show of the same name, artist Sachin Bonde traces the history of language and translation, as well as modes of trade from medieval times. There are elephants, that were used in Mughal times as a mode of transport, and who today are killed for their ivory tusks. There are endangered rhinos, and world boundaries that are today drawn on the basis of oil power. Both satirical and hard-hitting, Bonde’s artworks will make you ponder about politics, life and everything in between, long after a viewing.

5 Questions with the artist, Sachin Bonde

1. Artistic Motivations “It is my urge to express my reactions to my surroundings. Making art provides me with a medium for this expression.”
2. Inspirations “They come from my fascination with how humans are inspired and dependent on animals; how we have learnt from their characteristics to invent technologies in order to survive as the strongest species on this planet. I am inspired by myths, proverbs and sciences that relate to animals.”
3. On the wall at home “I would really like to have a lithograph by Joseph Beuys, made in 1974. It is an incomplete drawing of a deer (Tier). He often used natural references in his works as metaphors and symbols, which I connect with my thought process.”
4. Concerns that find a place in your art “The economic change, and globalisation. How mall culture has been injected into urban cities that is also spreading rapidly in smaller towns, like the one I come from. In a work called ‘Made for Trade’, I talk about how we are subjected to consume products that are manufactured and branded by economically powerful nations.”
5. If not an artist, you would be… “an archaeologist.”

Soil Oil is on display at Clark House Initiative, Mumbai (N Parjekar Marg, Ambedkar Statue Chowk Area, Colaba) until May 15, 2016.