Sayam Bharath Yadav’s art maps the paradoxes of contemporary life

Two days before the launch of his solo show Present Paradox, artist Sayam Bharath Yadav looks relieved. As he supervises his large-scale artworks and sculptures in wood and bronze being arranged at Chitramayee in State Gallery of Art, Hyderabad, he says he has been working towards the show for five years. The space, too, fills him with nostalgic warmth. Having worked as a gallery assistant in 2006, Chitramayee rekindles memories and helps him trace his artistic evolution over two decades.

Artist Sayam Bharath with senior artist Thota Vaikuntam at the show
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Special Arrangement

Displayed in the gallery’s four halls, the 25 exhibits reflect the paradoxes of our times through a contemporary lens. Balance, the first exhibit, is an abstract piece in teak wood with bronze, gold foil and natural pigments. A six feet wooden pillar fitted with a discarded bullock cart depicts imbalance and the changing urban life. “Trees are being cut and our cities are expanding rapidly. This imbalance is caused by destruction of lung spaces and natural habitats,“ says the artist.

The Rise, an artwork displayed at the gallery
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The Rise, a mixed media work, has a pop of colours. “It is like witnessing a boom,” says the artist, holding the 9X16 feet canvas. The collage work that also uses rice papers is inspired by events around us, including the crisis in Gaza. Look closer and the rice paper breaks the pattern of this vibrant and dynamic composition. “This work is on a positive note, as we hope to see light at the end of the tunnel.”

Known to blend human forms with an animal head/instinct, the artist shows the transformation witnessed in rural pockets in his next work. A canvas of 5X16 feet shows a group of animal-headed human figures dressed in traditional clothes with stylish accessories, and a UPI code near a fruit seller.

Bond with Nature

An artwork displayed at the gallery
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Special Arrangement

Hailing from an agrarian community, Bharath has a profound connection with Nature and has explored this bond with forms in wood and brass. From using found objects, pieces of wood from old farming tools to a discarded ancestral bullock cart… the exhibits have many stories to tell.

“Evolution is a part of an artist’s growth but it is not easy to create in a new medium until one finds a connect. It is about communicating in a new visual language,” explains Bharat, who has been collecting discarded wood for three years.

Artworks displayed at the gallery
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Special Arrangement

Bharat’s art is also personal and grounded. For instance, the recurring symbol of milk cans in artworks make him nostalgic. “I hail from a community of cowherds; my mother used to sell milk and was attached to these cans. People may look at the cans as an object of livelihood but for me, it is an important part of my childhood and roots.”

The Migration series appeals to all those who have made Hyderabad their home. Mohalla, a sculptural piece in teak wood, uses geometric blocks to depict a neighbourhood with its distinctive culture and old-world charm. “I love the city’s rustic feel and its mosaic of faiths, with a temple here and a mosque there.”

(Sayam Bharath Yadav’s Present Paradox is on view at Chitramayee, State Gallery of Art, Madhapur, Hyderabad, till March 1)