Migration and memories at the heart of artist Arjun Das’ works in Hyderabad

The exhibits in discarded wood, stone, coal, metal and asphalt narrate stories of the migrant working class

Arjun Das draws from his own identity as a first-generation migrant from Jharkhand, to Kolkata. His solo show, Land of the Leal at Hyderabad’s Dhi Artspace provides glimpses of spaces inhabited by the migrant working class in cities. In search of a better life and livelihood, most migrants move to cities where they live in small, impermanent places. The narratives in wood, metal, stone, coal, terracotta roof tiles and asphalt reflect their lives, struggles and ways to survive in this new home which offers nothing in terms of space but carries the hope for their unrealised dreams. The show’s title, Land of the Leal, symbolises cities as dream places that lure them.  

Artist Arjun Das works only with discarded material collected during his travels. One such 7x9x5 inches wooden board of a truck becomes his canvas on which he recreates a busy street of Bara Bazar in Kolkata.

Human figures are absent in this visual resembling cave architecture, with only the space and objects acquiring a symbolic identity. In fact, none of his works has a human element. It is a mocking idea, says the artist who equates it to architectural sites and temples that have no mention of the thousands of workers who built them.

Interestingly, he has carved tools with a screwdriver. “Migrants use many DIY tool hacks to manage lives. For instance, a damaged omlette pan handle is replaced with another available tool. I create my carving chisels in the same way,” says Arjun.

The Chai ki Dukaan series done during the lockdown reflects a sombre mood. Arjun had visited the street where he saw the space that used to be bustling with people was filled with melancholy during the lockdown. Images of tools strewn around, benches, tables and chairs put upside down, highlight the way migrant workers rushed to their hometown when the lockdown was suddenly announced.

Arjun was 11 when he moved to Kolkata from Jharkhand and worked as child labourer in a hotel for two years. “This was not the life I wished to lead,” says the artist who joined a school after those two years and continued working in the evenings for his expenses, until he graduated in fine arts. He went on to do his masters too.

Most of the works — inspired by his life — bear a stark reality. “It is an attempt to deliver a dialogue based on experiences. I see many youngsters getting married at 20; their studies are discontinued and they migrate to cities to fulfill responsibilities,” he says.