Tall Tales

Untitled

Abul Hisham, Untitled, 2014

Pastel, water colour and charcoal on paper, 213 x 122 cm - 84 x 48 inchew

Royal Portrait

Abul Hisham, Royal Portrait, 2013

Acrylic, pastel, charcoal on paper, 152.4 x 122.4 cm - 60 x 48 in

No! Now I am not a stalker

Abul Hisham, No! Now I am not a stalker, 2013

Soft pastel, acrylic, tea wash, gouache and black paper cuttings on paper, 183 x 122.4 cm - 72 x 48 in

Trojan horse and one lakh ten thousand conversations

Abul Hisham, Trojan horse and one lakh ten thousand conversations, 2014

Pastel, fabric, watercolor and marker on paper, 122.4 x 213 cm - 48 x 84 in

Kerala-born and Hyderabad-based artist Abul Hisham’s works have an absurdist quality in their satirical collages that make for a powerful visual spectacle. Drawing inspiration from mythology, art history, cinema, popular culture and religion, you find his works talking to you or unfolding a story in the manner of an elevated picture book, with layers of metaphorical meaning.

5 Qs with the artist, Abul Hisham:

1. Artistic motivations “It’s the passion of doing things. I am interested in transferring idea onto medium and transforming it. ‘Constructing’ different things – media, characters, even text, helps me get closer to the idea.”

2. Inspirations “Art history, the cinema, religious mythology and cartoons inspire my work. Artists who inspire me greatly are Goya and Manet.”

3. Artists at home “There are too many!”

4. Concerns that show up in your work “Religious conflicts and caste systems. The two things matter the most today.”

5. If you weren’t an artist…. “A lot of my family members were going to the Middle East and some took up civil engineering. So there was talk of that when I completed 12th grade. But I chose art school instead!”

Abul Hisham’s new works previewed on Art Night Thursday October 9, 2014 and continue until November 22, 2014 at Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke (2 Sunny House, 16/18 Mereweather Road, Behind Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba, Mumbai).