As the Indian art landscape has slowly but steadily shifted from its earlier Modern style to a more Contemporary style, mediums of art have also seen an evolution! Oil, Acrylic and Watercolor are no longer the only go-to mediums. Sanjana Shah, Independent Curator and Creative Director of Tao Art Gallery, shares the different types of mediums adopted by artists.

With newer ideas and concepts to communicate, artists are expanding their experimentations. Contemporary art focuses more on the thought behind the art rather than the aesthetics of it and this leads to the acceptance of the usage of more quirky, eclectic and unusual materials. The medium is the conduit to tell the unique story behind the art. Be it socio-political issues or just philosophy, the medium has become crucial to convey the essence of the artist’s mind and opinions. Owing to its more abstract nature, Contemporary art does not weave figurative stories in a direct manner; instead the medium plays a critical role to convey the story indirectly through reference.

There are many artists working with interesting mediums at the moment. Some do it to explore and try out different styles, while others use it consciously as a part of their storytelling. The ones that personally strike out for me are those using the medium deliberately to convey their narrative. Jaideep Mehrotra is one such artist who created his own unique medium as he felt it was necessary for the idea he had in mind. Mixing oil with powdered metal, Mehrotra created a kind of liquid metal that was then used on his canvas to showcase a fluid and reflective image. This helped him to communicate his belief that art is a ‘reflection’ of its surrounding culture, especially in this digital era. The specific techniques used help the viewers to ponder and truly reflect upon this. He states, “there are no ‘laws of beauty’ involved. One is prompted to think about the nature of art, of looking at art, of humanity, of our times, of ourselves.”

Floating Point, 2020 (Acrylic, Oil, Metal, Mixed Media Canvas) by Jaideep Mehrotra

A Digital Reign, 2019 (Acrylic, oil, metal & mixed media on canvas) by Jaideep Mehrotra

Another interesting artist is Smita Kinkale who uses thrown Industrial Polyethylene to emphasize upon the point she makes about environmental degradation and its repercussions. The recycling of the material through her art also aids and adds more gravitas to her cause! Kinkale’s works are a true tribute to Contemporary art, combining cause with aesthetic.

Untitled (Industrial Polyethylene) by Smita Kinkale

Kisalay Vora’s name has to be mentioned when talking about innovative mediums. Vora has used everything from threads to pins and bangles and even bricks in his work. Creating vivid installations describing different areas of his interest he is relentless in his curiosity and experimentation! His installation Deconstruct uses bangles embedded in bricks to showcase the strength of the women behind men and the role of the woman as the foundation of households. He also brings to light the plight of the families of nomadic laborers’ whose wives and children are left behind. His work doesn’t have any standard medium unlike Kinkale, but instead he lets his vision guide his medium. His pin and thread work on his acrylic canvas tells another story of human connection and entanglement. Hence each work is unique in both medium and narrative.

Utsav, 2017 (Oil paint and metal pins on canvas) by Kislay Vora (In collaboration with Sheena Sahni Vora)

Deconstruct, 2018 (Metal, cement, fiberglass and bangles) by Kisalay Vora

It is testament to the times we are in that people are embracing and appreciating such an interesting variety of mediums! Especially with the whole outburst of Digital Art and NFTs, it is crucial to keep up with the trend continuously! Exploration, innovation and context are key for both the artists using the mediums and the viewers understanding them. India still has a long way to go along the truly Contemporary Art path in terms of mediums. The West has shown us the possibility of adopting crazier mediums like those used by artists like Damien Hirst and Anish Kapoor. What is important to remember is that one must let their ideas lead to the medium rather than the other way around. The medium is the conduit for communication rather than the inspiration for it. Once that is understood, then the sky is the limit!