Tea is where his art brews

In a world of colours, paintings that celebrate darkness and shadows are a rarity. In that context, the works of Bengaluru-based artist Dhanaraj Keezhara adeptly contradict preconceived notions about aesthetics; they are disturbingly raw in nature and strikingly closer to reality.
Look close, this cinnamon brown is not the romantic crayon, neither the brightening acrylic nor oil.The earthy hue on the hand-made canvas is tea decoction in measured volumes.Smell them, feel life. Keezhara has been mastering the art of staining the canvas with 'chai' for the past 10 years.
The experiment, however, was not precisely to find something unconventional, but a powerful medium that could transcend the complexities of the subject. The decoction made by boiling the leaves for different durations ­ even weeks together to get a thicker solution and 3-5 repeating layers ­ sets the mood perfectly. Unlike artists like Carne Griffiths who mixes ink with tea, Keezhara relies on the purity of tea leaves. The undulating charcoal strokes are impactful. The light is white patches on the canvas, a mark of rare optimism that can be seen among the downtrodden.
“Initially, I tried the stain from tea leaves we get in the market only to realize that they fade over a period of time.That's when I sought the help of my friends in Assam, Munnar and Kodagu to get organic leaves. I experimented with them for years to understand the character and longevity of the medium before starting the series, Chiaroscuro.“ The process, perfected through the trial and error method, eventually made him fall in love with the aromatic beverage. The 35 paintings, mostly portraits of slum children and their kin, are a synthesis of observation and memories, knit together from the environs of the school for the underprivileged, Christel House India, where he works as HoD of art and visual media.
The affectionate coyness of the boy, the melancholic eyes of the mother a n d daughter, the suppressed laughters of girls in uniform, the granny with wrinkles rooted in history and the loneliness of the boy rolling a tyre who eventually died after a fire engulfed his hut ­ Keezhara's protagonists are people you might have seen in slums who are conveniently forgotten in hurried life. The drawings are also evidence of his inclination towards socially-engaged art practices. His politics of humanity, questioning the notions of development, and the fascination towards anything that's close to na ture are evident in his earlier projects as well, like They yam 'nilathezhuthu' (transient painting on courtyard), a series on rain, community graffiti at the fish market , and sculpture gar dens in schools.
“ Every growing city has in its un derbelly places where the less privilege live.
They are un derrepre sented in decision making spaces. I get to see their life from close every day. Seeing them reaching the heights they do is immeasurable pleasure. Working with indigenous communities like the tribals in Wayanad, the Lambanis in Bidar, and the Narmada valley community during the Narmada Bachao Andolan has also enriched my work,“ he adds.
The exhibition, Chiaroscuro, will be open from May 1921 (11am-9pm) at Rangoli Metro Art Centre, MG Road.