In Madan Lal's ‘Urban Emotions', the latest exhibition by the senior artist, human beings and their immediate vicinity transform into imitated beings and new locations in order to elucidate certain truths that exist underneath the layers of trivial affairs in our daily lives. Predominantly, these newly established worlds are infested with couples conjointly appreciating and admiring each other but at the same time, their minds are pre-occupied with the harsh realities of their daily lives. The collection, recently exhibited at Shridharani Gallery at Triveni Kala Sangam, manifests the idea and concept of intense love for our belongings for which we are neglecting the value of our relationships in this urban turmoil. “As an artist, I transfer my feelings or whatever is happening around the world onto the canvas. All that happens in a particular period of time, I feel it and visualise it in my mind and then draw it on the canvas,” says Lal explaining the idea explored in the series.
“I attach weight to both the subject and the process of execution of the painting. Thus, in ‘Urban Emotions' I have exhibited the emotions of the people attached to their belongings residing in urban areas.”
The artist had his first solo at Lalit Kala Akademi in Chandigarh. So far he has had 13 solo exhibitions and participated in the 52nd National Exhibition organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi last year.
The artist associates ‘Urban Emotions' with the emotions of the people stuck in the urban trap. These emotions are violent, enchanting and at the same time competing for authority over reason. According to the painter, people in urban areas always aim to be the conqueror; they just don't want to face failure in life though it is an inextricable part of our existence in the chaotic metropolis. In one of the paintings, the artist surrounds a couple with multiple locks and keys using them as a metaphor of sexual intimacy, gender polarity, physical anatomy of the male and female. The lock not only signifies female sexuality but also the secrets of what lies beyond the surface of human life. The keys are the potential openers that are with the beholders and the artist.
