This was an interesting and engaging episode of art in a very spontaneous mode at a place of accidentally chosen. I visited Khalsa Stationery for my usual material hunt and don't know why felt damn tempted to use the material available over there. Just before the Covid 19 pandemic wrecked havoc in our life in 2020, I visited this small but well stocked shop at Refugee Market near Bengali Market. Gurpreet Khalsa was there at his shop. He shown me some really good papers and asked me to try them then and there. I also wanted to explore the papers. And the works just happened.
Then in February 2021 I visited this shop again. I picked up a small but interesting piece of hardboard and started drawing on it. And the work was a spontaneous piece of art.
We all know what role air travel played in the spread of the Corona Pandemic globally. Initially when we took the pandemic for granted and ignored all warnings coming from WHO, the continued and unchecked air travel helped this virus to reach each and every corner of this globe.
This particular work is my visual interpretation of this particular occurrence in human history. Visual documentation of this pandemic and it's effect on humanity is what I want to accomplish with this particular series of works done during this global health threat.
Dance of Corona during Corona kaal...
This work is created recently during this pandemic lockdown period. Part of my Art in Lockdown series. Don't want to explain or guide anyone regarding this work. You may like it or may frown at it for being gross. But this is my visual interpretation of this global pandemic. I just tried to capture the ruthless aggression of this virus. It's highly unpredictable and ever mutating for its survival and to spread fear among human race. Death and despair is spread across it's face and body. Performing a dance of the macabre and thus isolating each one of us into obliteration.
My ongoing series of work on Corona Pandemic and the Life between Lockdown and the Unlocked. Days of endless fear and pain and angst is what I tried to capture with this series on paper. We are feeling helpless in this situation. Left to fend for ourselves. We are living in a world full of uncertainties and fear. As if living among the dead.
Skeletons are all around us. Death rules. And amidst all these darkness there is total lack of sympathy from the central government. No monetary help or support for our livelihoods. India and it's citizens are now facing a big question of survival.
Well friends as we all know that we should stay in complete isolation and indoors to fight with this nasty contagious virus, wreaking havoc globally. Right now on 6 April 2020 I am sharing my drawings that I created during this sad but extremely necessary nationwide lockdown. In this video you can see the pain and the dilemma faced by our migrant workers from different villages, while trying to return to their homes during this lockdown. They are without food and walked hundreds of kilometers to reach their villages. Some of them faced death too.
Staying home in my studio, I challenge myself to create random accounts of my isolated experiences with fear and loneliness and an uncertain future.
Showing the battle between Man Vs Corona. The way air travel helped in its spread all across the world. Locked down in our homes due to the corona pandemic gives an artist quite a challenge to keep calm and create artworks.
Well friends as we all know that we should stay in complete isolation and indoors to fight with this nasty contagious virus, wreaking havoc globally. Right now on 31 March 2020 I am sharing my drawings that I created during this sad but extremely necessary nationwide lockdown. In this video you can see the pain and the dilemma faced by our migrant workers from different villages, while trying to return to their homes during this lockdown.
Well friends as we all know that we should stay in complete isolation and indoors to fight with this nasty contagious virus, wreaking havoc globally. Right now on 30 March 2020 I am sharing my drawings that I created during this sad but extremely necessary nationwide lockdown. In this video you can see the pain and the dilemma faced by our migrant workers from different villages, while trying to return to their homes during this lockdown. They are without food and walked hundreds of kilometers to reach their villages. Some of them faced death too.
Well friends as we all know that we should stay in complete isolation and indoors to fight with this nasty contagious virus, wreaking havoc globally. Right now on 29 March 2020 I am sharing my drawings that I created during this sad but extremely necessary nationwide lockdown. In this video you can see the pain and the dilemma faced by our migrant workers from different villages, while trying to return to their homes during this lockdown. They are without food and walked hundreds of kilometers to reach their villages. Some of them faced death too.
Staying home in my studio, I challenge myself to create random accounts of my isolated experiences with fear and loneliness and an uncertain future.
Well friends as we all know that we should stay in complete isolation and indoors to fight with this nasty contagious virus, wreaking havoc globally. Right now on 26 March 2020 I am sharing my drawings that I created during this moronic forced isolation.
Well friends as we all know that we should stay in complete isolation and indoors to fight with this nasty contagious virus, wreaking havoc globally. Right now on 26 March 2020 I am sharing my drawings that I created during this sad but extremely necessary nationwide lockdown.
Staying home in my studio, I challenge myself to create random accounts of my isolated experiences with fear and loneliness and an uncertain future.
Well friends as we all know that we should stay in complete isolation and indoors to fight with this nasty contagious virus, wreaking havoc globally. Right now on 25 March 2020 I am sharing my drawings that I created during this sad but extremely necessary nationwide lockdown.
Staying home in my studio, I challenge myself to create random accounts of my isolated experiences with fear and loneliness and an uncertain future.
I (Soumen Bhowmick) recently visited this small but really cozy and welcoming art material store, Khalsa Stationer, tucked in a quiet corner of Bengali Market of New Delhi. I asked for some good quality paper to work on for my upcoming series on paper. Gurpreet Khalsa shown me this high fibre paper from Japan. I thought to give it a try then and there. Gurpreet was ok with the idea and readily provided me with the fabulous paper and some contes to draw with and the result is in-front of all of you.
Artist : Soumen Bhowmick
Videography : Gurpreet Khalsa
Video Editor : Suvankar Nandi
Venue : Khalsa Stationers' near Bengali Market, Delhi.
A whole lot of emotions played a major role in shaping all these works on paper. A bit of anxiety, a bit of fear, some dollops of hope, some sprinkle of anger makes a perfect mixture for my creative exploration during this long period of lockdown due to Corona pandemic. Sometimes I felt totally drenched from sitting at home and talking to my parents everyday for months. No other interactions were there. Felt quite strange sometimes.
To stay calm and concentrate with the visuals and material is a big challenge. Often feeling disturbed by unfortunate news of migrant workers meeting road accidents while walking back to their respective homes in various parts of India. Feeling disgusting as an individual who is incapable of physically helping all these poor and helpless people. Fake and gullible news are moved around to vitiate the atmosphere further. People faced discrimination based on religion while treated in hospitals for the pandemic. Shameful incidents of beating doctors and volunteers were reported from many parts of India. All such news made an impact with my creative process during this lockdown.
Fear and more fear looming all around us, day and night. No clue how to be safe. No clue of our future. Uncertainty is the only reality during this Corona Pandemic. His forced isolation is unbearable and unbelievably painful for our mind and body. I want to go out and shout my heart clear of all anxiety. When I see and hear about the horrible pain and agony faced by my fellow citizens, it breaks my heart. And as an artist I want to do something to question and protest against this brutal treatment to Indian migrant workers. How obnoxiously could we as a society and as a nation. We failed our own people.

Like to draw something cheerful maybe just to feel good during this gloomy lockdown. But even if I tried many a times, I couldn't draw jolly good, pretty pictures. Simply I can't deny the endless brutality thrown upon my fellow beings. Doctors dying due to lack of PPEs and face mask. People dying of hunger. Children screaming for help while walking hundreds of miles to their villages. People looking for safety and food like a mirage in a concrete jungle. A terrible sense of hopelessness envelopes you sometimes. Within this emotional turmoil I had to survive as an artist to create the contemporary developments. Financially it was challenging too. So many difficulties reared its head at this time of lockdown. Trust me, I went through hell and beyond. And most probably many of you too experienced the same.