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

Artist Sayam Bharath Yadav’s art maps the paradoxes of contemporary life. His show at State Art Gallery in Hyderabad features large-scale artworks and sculptures in wood and brass

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 | Photo Credit: 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 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

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.