August 7, 2009
Aditya Pande’s works are visually elaborate mixed media pieces that often contain animal/human hybrids. The process of Pande’s work sometimes begins with a computer mapping out complex linear shapes that are then printed on to paper or canvas. These drawings are used as a starting point for his compositions. Pande talks to Dazed Digital about his quasi-mythical characters and how much influence India really has on his work.
Dazed Digital: Tell us about the exhibition? What is the focus behind it?
Aditya Pande: It's my first solo show in London. I am showing my new work which is an extension of a series that I've been working on for the past few years. The works are constructed as partial autobiographies and invented chronicles of imaginary conditions set within obscure landscapes.
DD: Why do you choose to base your art on computer-generated drawings? What does it allow you to do?
Aditya Pande: Almost all of my work is centered around using drawing as a starting point. I generate many drawings using a computer but it's only one of the many starting points for my work and not so much a base. I engage with various different methods and media of drawing as starting points for my work.
However, drawing using the computer is the most subverted with regards to a process. I'm attracted to its newness and its ability to expand the approach to drawing. I use a vector based drawing software in which I 'stretch' and create of a lot of vector data. It feels somewhat sculptural. It also distorts the sense of speed and scale in making the work and that allows for a different engagement with the form of drawing and the development of ideas as a consequence. Because all my work is ultimately resolved as an image, the drawing processes become very critical in defining and creating parameters.
DD: You studied and are based in India. How does the country influence your work?
Aditya Pande: It’s tough for me to decipher that. I am not conscious of it while I work. There are a lot of animal-insect-human forms in the works I create and perhaps the ability to engage comfortably with these hyphenated quasi-mythical characters is a trait that is culturally natural. I cannot be certain; the works are intuitive and I think I mix global and local influences with equal force.
DD: Do you get different reactions from Indian and Western audiences?
Aditya Pande: Yes. But there seems to be a commonality in terms of contextualising the work within an Indian landscape. I'm not usually very comfortable about that.
DD: Who are your favourite artists at the moment and why?
Aditya Pande: There is so much great work around! I saw the works of Arnulf Rainer a couple of years ago and it made a strong impression on me. Matthew Barney's epic works are amazing. I also have a huge fascination for Dadaist works and artists.
DD: What’s next for you?
Aditya Pande: I need to surprise myself… I don't usually know where I'm headed.
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