Through deeply nuanced and phantasmagorical paintings that use allegory, magic realism, metaphor, symbols, poetry, mythology, fantasy – Within, Without is Ranjan Kaul’s expression of what he views as a discordant, chaotic and disrupted world. The works are reflections on the complexities of contemporary society inured to realities into complacency by altogether new technology-based media narratives. Among the focus areas include the condition of women and children, self-interest, and the plight of the oppressed and marginalized. The artist’s concerns are not confined merely to those that meet the eye, but also those that remain hidden – that take place in the home, in the interior of the mind.
Rather than creating a mood of despondency and despair, the works give a glimpse of hope and harmony, of a world brimming with love and romance, music and dance. Rather than depict his serious thematic as realistic reportage, the artist often enlivens his work with a quirky, satirical skylarking, oftentimes using hybrid, chimeric creatures.
The exhibition is on at Visual Arts Gallery from 26th to 31st March 2024 and then the exhibition will continue at Urban Fringe – the underground studio at Okhla Phase 1 from 12th to 22nd April 2024. A dominant theme in the show is the predicament of women, particularly those belonging to the oppressed groups, given their lack of choice and autonomy and absence of agency. “The primary focus of this show is to give imaginative articulation to what I believe are the disruptive and disquieting conditions we are living in.
These works are a reimagined umwelt of our times in which I use a range of devices and visual languages – from mythology and literary references to flora symbolism and human-animal hybrid characters.” Says Ranjan Kaul.