Of dichotomous journeys

Life is often about non-porous boundaries that bind. Few are able to transcend these borders to create skies anew. Sometimes these binds are hands dealt by destiny or fate. Sometimes it is one's free will that propels us. But whatever the "x" factors or reasons, the fact remains that these dichotomous journeys leave indelible imprints on the mindscape and change us forever.

Something similar happened to Vijay Anand – an artist turned architect only to return like a prodigal – after all first loves are difficult to forget. The footprints of various forays have impacted his canvases in ways that even he would find difficult to unravel.

The most evident impact is his ability to experience and perceive textures in a whole new way. As an architect who has also created high-end furniture, Vijay brings his experience with various materials including diverse woods, surfaces, veneers, adhesives, skeins, metals and stones to his canvases in the most charming and almost mystical manner. This fascination for textures perhaps takes precedence over everything else; hence there is a remarkable continuity and depth in his works.

The approach is versatile and multi-dimensional not only in the mediums and styles – where he works with acrylic and water colours to create abstract works, but with colors and materials to exude a gamut of emotions. There is an amazing sense of freedom where the art is as unfettered as his imagination. The textures permeate a tangible quality that you feel constrained to caress.

There is perceptible brooding in the color palette of his works. And then almost as if he resolutely decides to go into a celebration mode with vibrant bold colors springing forth.

It is as if the artist is commenting on the propensity of being itself, of one layer replacing another just as one life and its memories make place for other lives, other memories.