Art in Lockdown 2020 - 3

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. 



Art in Lockdown 2020 - 2

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. 

Art in Lockdown 2020 - 1

This series of paintings and drawings are all done during the nationwide Corona Lockdown that was declared by the Government of India from 25 March 2020. I kept working on this series influenced by the pain and agony and the fear of death looming all around us globally, especially in India. Sometimes it's very dark in nature and sometimes the works are very mysterious, leaving behind many questions to ponder upon.

My job as an artist is to liberate your soul from ignorance and throw upon you hundreds of questions. I want my art to be the liberator of our failed conscience.

Mostly done in Black and White. On paper. Love to deal with the macabre and dark side of our existence. 

ART CAMP 2019

DOOMSDAY PARADISE

Painting done during an art camp held at AIFACS, New Delhi.

KISS THE BARREL

Kiss The Barrel, Graphite on paper

KISS THE BARREL

By Soumen Bhowmick

It's a tragedy unfolding with time. The pain inflicted by our own self is immense. Now forced to kiss the barrel of a smoking gun in the valley of people with beating hearts and flesh to claim. They are scared to look at the gun of dictatorship. They are scared of the tyrant. They are our own. 

Please don't throw them into the dungeons of distrust and self-doubt.

#Mosha #MoshaSeries #MoshaBook #ArtistBook #AntiFa #Drawings #Lines #Contemporary #ArtForChange #ArtistUnited #ArtActivism #ArtNow #Black #Humanity #Democracy #Protest #India #HullaBol

* From my new series of drawings in a book format, on our socio-political realities

COURAGE LASTS FOREVER

Courage Lasts Forever, Graphite on paper,

COURAGE LASTS FOREVER
By Soumen Bhowmick

When the evil tyrant sends his hired warmongers to vanquish the commons, it's the collective and individual courage of the masses which make them face those brutal fascist forces till the end of the battle. Stand together to take on the monster of hatred and jingoism. 
Always stand together to claim your victory against the obnoxious soothsayer of hatred and negativity. It's our time to resist these forces of annihilation and subjugation collectively.

#Mosha #MoshaSeries #MoshaBook #ArtistBook #AntiFa #Drawings #Lines #Contemporary #ArtForChange #ArtistUnited #ArtActivism #ArtNow #Black #Humanity #Democracy #Protest #India #HullaBol

* From my new series of drawings in a book format, on our socio-political realities

MUTE RAGE

Mute Rage, diptych,
croquill pen and ink on board

I failed to raise my voice, so let it die on the lap of utter ignorance. I failed to recognise the truth, staring on my mute face bluntly. It was poking me to react to this bastardisation of the few leftovers of sanity. We are not dead yet.

Constantly facing the loaded barrels of hatred is taking a severe toll on my conscience. It wants to compromise. An escape to oblivion is sought after. I want to lie to my soul, that it isn't happening.

But the barrels of hatred can't be silenced with love and dissent. It asks for more than that. Time is asking for sacrifice. Who will lead the truth to its glory.

© Soumen Bhoemick 2019

THE KINGDOM OF BLIND'S

Kingdom of Blinds', croquill pen and ink

There are many of us lying dismembered and discarded by an unforeseen evil entity. We are born in the kingdom of the blinds. Can't see any light ever. We are blind for eternity. This land has breathe evil since a long time.

The year was 2014. When it evolved as an epidemic to steal all our senses of deliverance. It erased our prowess, to sight for the truth. It blinded us with greed and hatred. Hatred drilled out the last retina of sight from our eyes. We are now all blind and at peace with our ignorance. So let it be. The blood in our weakened body is all drenched out, to feed the lord evil.
Acceptance of our sightless destiny is a norm now. We are all  blessed by evil in the kingdom of the blinds'.

© Soumen Bhowmick 2019

I'M ALSO A CLOWN

I'm Also Clown, graphite on paper

Mein Bhi Joker / I'm also a Clown

#Clowns #FascistClowns #Hatred #CircusofHatred #SoumenArt #Joker

It's not a show of seasonal morons, it's a nonstop barrage of ignorant and hateful rantings, clowning around all of us. It's very colourful. But shows saffron hues only. The clown, is even has a saffron heart and a saffron smile to intoxicate you. It could be easily identified from miles afar with its obnoxious clowning skills to kill any thing not resembling its crooked appearance. The circus 🎪 of hatred and killing innocent souls is played nonstop by the clown. He is very much real. No fantasy of a lunatic.

© Soumen Bhowmick 2019

MANUS - The Inside Pages

MANUS IS AVAILABLE FOR READERS and
ART LOVERS

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*SELF PUBLISHED BY THE ARTIST. A UNIQUE ART PROJECT, COMPILED IN A BOOK FORMAT. *726 ORIGINAL BLACK & WHITE DRAWINGS WILL ENTHRALL YOUR SENSES. MOSTLY DONE OUTDOORS AT TRIVENI KALA SANGAM AND MANDI HOUSE. A RESULT OF LOVE AND PAIN IS MANUS. A VISUAL SOJOURN OF HUMANITY. OUR STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL, THE POLITICAL SCENARIO, SOCIETAL DILEMMAS AND THE STORY OF HUMANITY IN GENERAL IS MANUS. WORKED FOR A DURATION OF SIX YEARS. 

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CONTACT : soumen99@gmail.com or DIRECT MESSAGE ME ON MESSENGER.

LOLLIPOP LE LO LOLLIPOP, KHATTA MEETHA KHOONI FASCIST DRIPPING LOLLIPOP...

LOLLIPOP LE LO LOLLIPOP, 

KHATTA MEETHA KHOONI 

FASCIST DRIPPING LOLLIPOP

The devil himself disguised as a man, smooth talking and cunning to the core, suddenly stopped the tired looking me on the path of democracy. I was seeking answers to my smudged out dreams of success and goodwill. Suddenly I realise this devil was selling something, I took a short glance at his merchandise, he was promoting very dark and pretty mischievous but extremely tempting lollipops.

Lollipops are our weakness as humans. Sweet and sour, that's what he was loudly mouthing out. At the same time thumping his fifty six inch chest, a gaudy showoff.

I asked for the price of the tempting goodies, he said it's for free. But asked for my soul in exchange for those mischievous lollipops. I sold out my soul for a lollipop and I regret later on. Still crying in the corner of my failed and much injured body, lying on the ground. The lollipop was poisoned with fascist dubious ideas. It was laced with the venom of hatred and bigotry. So powerful was the poison that I lost my credibility as a human being at the very first bite.

I regret my choice and hate those lollipops to eternity.

MONOCHROME DAYS

Video Documentation of all the Works

#MonochromeDays, #SoumenArt, #Monochrome, #WaterColour, #Paintings

Started working on this series of monochromes in July 2018. These are really recent works on paper. The temptation to challenge myself with a monochromatic approach to the contemporary dualities of our surrounding was overwhelming. Had to address to my inner calling to capture today’s reality in monochromes. The world seemed to me in that tone only. I see today’s reining-societal hatred and crushing of human rights in a more precise magnification while using the aperture of monochrome. Humanity and its accessories are depicted in an absurd and twisted scenario in this series. Sometimes it’s all ogres or it’s totally insane to perceive. Brainwashed and injected with hatred with act like automated morons. The images are all reflection of what my senses absorbed from the world at present. The brutality is somehow subdued with the monochrome splashes. 

“MONOCHROME DAYS” is my answer to several queries on how an artist can portray political and societal madness and nonsensical tyranny in a more aesthetic way. But doing so, not loosing the soul of the narrative. The limitation of of the colour spectrum is required to reinvent myself and my sense of line and colour. As an Artist I find it hard to believe that one can’t invade the web of hatred and bigotry using mere lines and limited colours. I hope I met the challenge honestly. 

Enjoy the monochrome days… 

By: Soumen Bhowmick