A Memorizing Conversation with Atul Dodiya
Portrait Atul Dodiya, 2024 © Tanguy Beurdeley
Atul Dodiya was born in 1959 in Mumbai, where he lives and works. His work features in the collections of a host of international museums, including the Mnam-Centre Pompidou in Paris, Tate Modern in London, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He has taken part in most major exhibitions of Indian art held in the USA, Europe and Asia over the last twenty years: Atul Dodiya, Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, Detroit, USA (2020), After Midnight: Indian Modernism to Contemporary India at Queens Museum in New York (2015), India: Art Now at the ARKEN Museum of Modern Art in Denmark (2012), La Route de la soie at Tri Postal in Lille and Paris Delhi Bombay at the Centre Pompidou (2011), Inside India at Palazzo Saluzzo Paesana Turin and The Empire Strikes Back at the Saatchi Gallery in London (2010), and Indian Summer at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (2000). He also participated in Documenta 12 in Kassel (curated by Roger Buergel) in 2007, the Gwangju Biennale (curated by Okwui Enwezor) in 2008, the Moscow Biennale (curated by Jean-Hubert Martin) in 2009, Kochi-Muziris Biennale in 2012, and 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7) in Brisbane in 2012.
In 2013, the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi organized the first retrospective of his work in India (curated by Ranjit Hoskote). In 2014, Bhau Daji Lad in Mumbai paid tribute to his work with a major exhibition: 7000 Museums. In 2019, he was among the artists showcased at India’s participation in the Venice Biennale, with a large-scale installation dedicated to Gandhi.
I had the honor and pleasure of asking Atul about how he finds art in cinema, where he can transform it into another fine art medium, what he thinks is the most crucial aspect of an art project, what is an essential lesson that creating art has taught him and why, and so much more.
UZOMAH: What made you decide between whether you should study to become a filmmaker or to become an artist?
ATUL: Before joining art school I was passionately interested in painting and also in cinema. The dilemma was which discipline should I go for. I was aware that cinema is an expensive medium, and it involves teamwork and difficult technicalities. Compared to that, painting was an easy option. I was also good at drawing and painting during my school days. At an early stage, I was aware of modern and contemporary paintings not just in India but internationally as well. Hence, painting was a viable and obvious choice.
U: How do you find art in cinema that you can transform into another fine art medium?
A: Essentially, I think cinema is a visual medium. We go to 'see' cinema. The best directors handle the medium beautifully. Each frame generates emotions through profound visuals. These films still speak to me. The mystery they reveal (or conceal) has ample visual possibilities for me to develop a painting out of it.
Toutes les images / All images :© Courtesy de l’artiste et TEMPLON, Paris —Brussels — New York
U: How has your love of filmmaking influenced your outlook on creating art?
A: I feel cinema is a complete medium with visuals, sound, movement, music, time, etc. The narrative aspect of cinema speaks to me and I am interested in this narrative aspect. The story-telling element holds the viewer. The challenge for me as a painter is how to depict the aspect of continuous narrative in a single picture frame without being illustrative. There is a struggle here, and I enjoy this process.
U: What is the most crucial aspect of an art project?
A: The most crucial aspect of an art project is experiencing the element of surprise, not just for the viewer but also for the painter. If I am baffled by my work, I will probably be able to baffle the viewer as well!
Toutes les images / All images :© Courtesy de l’artiste et TEMPLON, Paris —Brussels — New York
U: When you hear the words accomplished or renovated when it comes to your storied career, what do those words mean to you?
A: Accomplishment and acknowledgment all come in a long creative journey. Nothing is given on a platter. Acknowledgement is always fulfilling, but one has to be aware of the danger that comes along with it, and that is to settle and repeat. An artist should be careful about the danger of the establishment.
U: Can you name an essential lesson that creating art has taught you and why?
A: Seeing and creating happen simultaneously for an artist. The essential lesson the artist learns in the process is that there is a danger of being relaxed and succumbing to expectations. The artist should not cater to onlookers' expectations.
U: How did your preparation for this current exhibition differ from your usual preparation for an upcoming exhibition?
A: Every time when I prepare for my next exhibition I try to do things differently as much as possible. Sometimes, the theme or the subject matter inspires the series, and sometimes, a pure visual may trigger content. The current exhibition is an exception since I continued with the series of film still paintings as I had in my previous exhibition. There are a tremendous amount of possibilities in this film-still subject. I keep watching movies, and it continues to inspire me.
Toutes les images / All images :© Courtesy de l’artiste et TEMPLON, Paris —Brussels — New York
U: What has been the biggest challenge of your artistic career? How did creating art help you overcome that?
A: For me, the biggest challenge is to try to see things differently and not repeat them. Also, to create the art of substance, particularly when you are aware of great art done in the past. Total involvement and being tuned into the process of making help overcome the routine and mundane.
Toutes les images / All images :© Courtesy de l’artiste et TEMPLON, Paris —Brussels — New York
U: How have your life experiences influenced your aesthetic style?
A: The diverse experience in life certainly influences an artist. For example, the experience of living in a big metropolis like Bombay is one of the major influences in my artistic career. The unusual and diverse events happening simultaneously make you wonder and sometimes it is difficult to cope with it. At the same time, one accepts all these sound-noise, smells, visuals, and events happening in the city that influence human beings, and artists are no exception. Apart from this, what happens in an individual's personal life, joys, and sorrow also have a tremendous impact on the creative process.
U: Can you describe how you handle constructive criticism or criticism of any kind of your work?
A: Often criticism is superfluous. As is praise. In the beginning, it is difficult to digest criticism, but in the course of time one understands the importance of genuine criticism and accept it. Learn from it. Grow with it. Examine yourself from a new perspective.
For more information about Atul’s exhibition and his work, please visit the Templon site and also visit his exhibition showcase here.
