The world’s his canvas

His latest collection of sculptures and paintings, titled Iconic Shrine, will be travelling the world over the next two years, but artist Chintan Upadhyay decided to have a special preview show in his hometown Jaipur. JT caught up with him
What is your latest collection Iconic Shrine all about?
The theme of the series is derived from an Indian mythological story wherein Lord Shiva slits his son Ganesha���s head and later on puts an elephant���s head on his body.But what happens to the child���s head is something that I wanted to know and it is from there that I took the idea of the sculptures. And the thoughts about this child���s head kept creeping in my mind, just like a manthan (constant gushing of thoughts) and that���s how I came up with the paintings.
Jaipur is the first stop for this exhibition, where else are you taking this collection?
This is a preview. The works, which include five paintings and six sculptures, will be part of a travelling exhibition titled Roundabout, featuring hundreds of international artists. The show will be travelling for the next two years covering all the seven continents of the world.
You���ve used Rajasthani motifs on your sculptures too. Is there a message there?
The sculptures as well as the paintings depict a mix of tradition and modernity. I have used Shekhawati motifs on modern images, which are a metaphor for hope. In fact, through these faces I have tried to tell the world that science has reached such a height that people have started demanding designer babies. So while the head of the baby belongs to mythology, it���s been depicted in a modern way.
You have created works on sensitive issues like female foeticide, over luxurisation and pornography etc. Why do you choose such subjects?
As an artist, I have always tried to challenge the existing norms. In my artistic voyage, my constant effort is to take elements from the prevalent social norms. Don���t you think these are all part of our reality? Today sex has become a public affair, so I don���t feel ashamed in choosing pornography as my subject. With the advancement of technology both artistic and aesthetic senses in human beings have undergone a sea change, and my works show just that.
How do you see contemporary art picking up in Rajasthan?.
I am very sorry to say that contemporary art can never be fostered in Rajasthan due to lack of patronage. I have never been invited by Jawahar Kala Kendra to exhibit my works while galleries from all over the world invite me to display my works. Even this time, it���s me who was keen to showcase my works here. No government body over here takes interest in contemporary art. But I will continue to do shows on my own here unless Rajasthan gets its share of recognition in the international art scene.