“Pandemic has made us confined in our houses, the consequence is changing the way of living. We are not able to do several things freely and this is affecting our minds in creating tensions and fear. So, to avoid this, I engaged myself in different activities at home. My works deal with the journey of changes in my surroundings, it was different when I was in Odisha with family and friends. But after coming to Chandigarh, the pandemic has given a different perspective to my works.

‘Interim,’ dedicates to the animal and birds who symbolize the growth of nature at this particular time. I have shown the interconnection between humans, manmade structures, and nature. Nature gave humans and other living beings enough space to live, but as the human population increased, their living space also increased. Due to which the habitats of animals and birds became smaller and remained confined in a circle. The city streets and other places like beaches, oceans, parks, etc. were occupied by the human but during the lockdown, the whole scenario has got changed. Now the wild animals have come out of their limited space due to the absence of human presence on the streets and the other places. I have tried to paint here the relaxing and enjoying moments of animals at a particular time. I have collected the famous pictures of animals and birds taken during the lockdown in different countries and later on, I have painted them together against some constructive buildings, poles, roads, and beaches. There was a time when we went to pay a visit to the zoo and wildlife centuries and now the opposite of it is happening. It seems nature has given them a chance to visit us (human) as prisoners. Whereas human has stuck in his building structure, animals are exploring different places.

‘Through the Window (I-III),’ depicts the present situation, where I have involved myself in a particular space, being attentive towards sound because I have less to see around and more to listen. These days, different types of voices make me curious to know what is happening around me. The only sources to look outside of our home are windows & doors from where I can see different activities going on. This work of mine deals with human actions in this situation engaged themself in a particular space. I have drawn human figures throw different perspectives, such as some people going to purchase their essentials, while sweepers cleaning the roads, children playing, people on telephones, elders meditating, and doing house chores. Through different activities in my surroundings has tended me to show human reactions perceive living in restrictions. Different activities show the feeling of happiness and loneliness both. I have tried to focus upon the situational overviews of the current situation."

BIJAN  REDDY