About the Exhibition
Artisera
Kartab (noun, language: Hindi, meaning: act, deed, feat, stunt, trick, undertaking)
The monkey performs an act, while his master collects the money. Day in and day out, they enthrall and entertain their audience. But is it really the monkey who is the performer? Or is the master the real performer, and the monkey, his biggest act?
KARTAB is a body of work by Gurmeet Marwah that explores multiple dimensions of the human psyche with sensitivity and humour. Just as the master and the monkey navigate their roles in a delicate dynamic, so do individuals engage in their own kartab - the performances, actions, illusions, and choices that shape their lives. Through his artworks, Gurmeet compels viewers to pause, reflect, and question the unseen forces at play in their own existence.
At the heart of Gurmeet Marwah’s artistic exploration lies a desire to understand and unravel the complexities of human nature, addressing moral, philosophical and mundane predicaments with hints of humour and compassion. He creates modern day allegories, commenting on social facades and hierarchies, inclusions and exclusions, seen largely through the lens of his personal experiences.
Born and bred in a cosmopolitan city like Delhi, Gurmeet Marwah’s visual language is sustained by his responses to this multifarious landscape and the people in it. His work reflects a deep cognizance of his conditioning and background, and the values and beliefs that have become part of his adult existence. He is at once the observer and witness, documenting his feelings and reactions to everyday happenings. Superstitions and stereotypes, social conventions and obligations, sycophancy and subterfuge - these form some of the many layers of human interaction (and transaction) that he investigates and depicts.
Having learnt from personal experience about the challenges of relationships and their maintenance, Gurmeet chose to visualise it through his art, using dark humour as a device to deflect from his own vulnerability. This transitioned into a vocabulary that connected with universalised expression. Despite differences in race or nationality, caste or class, human experiences of love, loss, acceptance and the intricacy of relationships remain common ground. His works thus offer a sense of familiarity to an audience - with entry points that lead to further reflection and interpretation.
The lead protagonist in this current series of work is an anonymous being, a symbolic signifier of humanity that at times represents the artist’s self. His story-world is also inhabited variedly by the owl, rooster and the donkey, the monkey, goat or porcupine and most recently the frog, each embodying a particular human quirk, and imbuing the work with attributed meanings. He often brings to the fore the kind of internal tug-of-war individuals face in making large or small choices in life, throwing up systems of ethics and morals, othering, social manipulations and struggles to maintain balance in a world filled with incoherence. While the characters appear to deal with their challenges in isolation, the artist is constantly referring to the fact that nothing and no one exists in isolation; there is interdependence, as there is place for reciprocation, trust and love.
Drawing is central to Gurmeet’s practice. Through his engagement with painting, applied arts, printmaking, and now with sculpture, the linear qualities of his work tend to drive the compositional structure, with the element of colour often taking a supporting role. This is prominent in the current series of work, with subtle, almost monochromatic backgrounds, bringing focus to a central object or figure that carries the message. The intuitive use of gold and red hues in gouache with crisp black contour and detailing, accentuate the theatricality of the content. Overall, Gurmeet employs a methodology of simplicity, steering clear of over-intellectualisation and informational baggage, and leaving spectators with the freedom to understand what they will - adding clear clues through his tongue-in-cheek titles and visual symbology.
In these rather ruthless contemporary times, Gurmeet Marwah’s artworks share warmth and concern, shining light on human vulnerability and hope - and the possibilities of a more balanced world.
- Lina Vincent (Art Historian, Curator and Writer)
My artworks are a visual documentation of the events happening with me and around me. My never-ending curiosity and hunger to learn drive me to use varying mediums and materials to explore different dimensions of societal situations, human behaviour and emotions.
- Gurmeet Marwah
- Installation Views -
- A Mastery Over Medium -
Artisera
Gurmeet Marwah’s artistic practice is characterized by a deep engagement with materiality and form, transcending the boundaries of any one medium. He seamlessly moves between painting, drawing, sculpture, and woodcuts, allowing each technique to inform and enrich the other. This multidisciplinary approach reflects his commitment to exploring the expressive possibilities of diverse materials, resulting in a body of work that is both varied and cohesive.
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Unwanted Advisor
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 24 inches -
Over Thinker
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 24 inches -
Peace is a Myth (diptych)
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 24 inches x 2 nos. -
Kartab
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 48 inches -
Many Things to Say
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 48 x 60 inches -
Me and My Golden Image (A)
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 48 x 60 inches -
Right to Equality
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 48 x 72 inches -
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (A)
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 48 inches -
I try to achieve simplicity in the artworks I create, through complexity in my process of creation. Deep diving into the concept or theme I am working on, I analyse various perspectives and brainstorm several possibilities, before arriving at a clear vision of how I want my final piece to look, and what I want it to convey.
- Gurmeet Marwah
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Let's Get Lost
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 24 inches -
My Shareholder
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 24 inches -
Tiger in the City (A)
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 48 x 38 inches -
Tiger in the City (B)
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 48 x 38 inches -
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (B)
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 72 x 72 inches -
Carrying My Past
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 36 inches -
Nobody Goes With You
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 48 x 48 inches -
Nothing Will Stop
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 32 x 60 inches -
Sliding From the Stage
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 60 inches -
Love is Therapy (A)
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 30 x 48 inches -
Nature of Power (A)
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 36 x 24 inches -
I Have a Dream
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 48 x 38 inches -
Wheel of Life
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 38 x 48 inches -
Wake Up ASAP
Charcoal, Graphite and G... | 15.5 x 29 inches -
My One More Last Desire
Charcoal, Acrylic and Go... | 20 x 29 inches -
Let's Balance Together
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 13.5 x 22 inchesSold -
Daily Life
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 15 x 11 inches -
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (C)
Charcoal, Acrylic and Go... | 29 x 22 inches -
Common Practice
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 14.5 x 22 inches -
Trap
Charcoal, Acrylic and Go... | 11 x 14.5 inches -
Against the Wind
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 14.5 x 22 inches -
Elite Circle
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 14 x 21.5 inches -
Let It Go
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 11.5 x 8 inches -
Common Exercise
Charcoal and Acrylic on ... | 22 x 14.5 inchesSold -
Me and My Golden Image (B)
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 22 x 14.5 inches -
Nature of Power (B)
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 22 x 14.5 inchesSold -
Nothing Goes With You (A)
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 22 x 14.5 inches -
Power
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 14.5 x 11 inchesSold -
Peace Finder
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 29 x 21 inches -
Democracy
Charcoal, Gouache and Wa... | 22 x 28 inches -
Sone ki Seedhi (Golden Ladder)
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 29.5 x 13.5 inches -
One Last Desire
Charcoal and Gouache on ... | 22 x 14.5 inches -
My Heart
Charcoal, Acrylic and Go... | 14.5 x 11 inches -
The Final Confession
Fiberglass and Acrylic | 39 (H) x 19 (W) x 13 (D) inches -
Love is Therapy (B)
Fiberglass and Acrylic | 7.5 (H) x 43 (W) x 13.5 (D) inches -
We Can't Divide Everything
Fiberglass, Acrylic and ... | 34 (H) x 41.5 (W) x 10 (D) inchesSold -
Nothing Goes With You (B)
Wood | 11 (H) x 20.5 (W) x 8.5 (D) inches -
Nature of Power (C)
Woodcut on Acid-Free Paper | 24 x 16 inches -
Heart and Mind
Woodcut on Acid-Free Paper | 21 x 14 inches
- Artist Profile -
Artisera
Born in 1984, Gurmeet Marwah is a New Delhi based artist who uses satire to comment on the human psyche, through art that is equal parts heartwarming and thought-provoking. Having completed his MFA in Printmaking and BFA in Painting from College of Art, New Delhi, Gurmeet has held seven solo shows throughout his career and participated in numerous group shows.
Gurmeet’s work is based on narratives at two levels - the personal and the societal. The images are sarcastic expressions that have their origin in deeply felt emotions. In a way, the satire inherent in his work serves to resolve inner conflicts. Desire is a fundamental aspect of his art, which is translated using diverse forms and ideas.
Gurmeet uses animals and objects as poignant symbols as well as crucibles of emotive content. His artworks depict examples of human behaviour and interactions as satire, wherein the animals and objects act as metaphors. While the artworks are dominated by an earthly colour palette in the background, a pop of colour gives the central idea in his work prominence. Gurmeet works across various mediums, including painting, printmaking and sculpture. His works are part of prominent art collections in India and abroad.
