Mumbai sculptor’s new works reflect on scenes of migration in the pandemic

Tiny human figures with overflowing luggage, children following their parents, three men on a railway track, a lock and key, an airplane and migratory birds escaping the events on land - these are just a few of the images carved on Rohan Pawar's recent sculptures. They immediately evoke scenes of the March 2020 lockdown that had triggered the largest human migration in Indian history after the 1947 partition.

In a new show titled ‘This is why we cannot title an exhibition after Love' at Worli's Art & Soul, award-winning sculptor Pawar engages with the issue of migration and the inaction of the state towards the needs of a marginalised population, ultimately leading to a human crisis in the face of a collapsing public health system.

"What I saw during the first lockdown was something I had never witnessed before. There is a need to study the root causes of migration and I wanted to read the happenings seriously through my painting and sculpture," says the 28-year-old artist based in suburban Ghatkopar in Mumbai.

According to data provided by the government in the Parliament on October 17, 2021, more than 1.14 crore migrant workers returned to their home states during the Covid-19 lockdown. While the Centre introduced a number of schemes making provisions for free ration and transport facilities, the response to the crisis came much later when scores of migrant workers were already exposed to vulnerability of all kinds amid a complete lockdown.

"Apart from hunger, they were escaping an apocalypse where death seemed certain and an end they wished to spend with the only certainty of love - their families," writes Prabhakar Kamble, the curator of the ongoing exhibition.

Witnessing human devastation during the pandemic

With an objective to document this painful large-scale movement of people, Pawar set out to create his sculptures on migration in the months following the lockdown.

As someone who derives inspiration from everyday experiences, Pawar's subjects of works are essentially based on nature, humans, objects and the complexities of their relationship.

Pawar explains the antique colour chosen for the sculptures align with the thought that his artworks on migration represent history and there is a need to derive lessons from failures of the past. Image credit: Art & Soul

Focusing on domestic objects - a half-open suitcase with one end resembling a human upper jaw and a saturated tied-up makeshift bag - which are witness to and indicate movement, in his latest works, Pawar depicts the frustration of thousands of migrants who were stranded in the city, abandoned by governments and city-dwellers.

"The plight of the working class and their children in the process of migration (starvation, police beatings, childbirth, accidental deaths, etc.) has only darkened the reality. It is necessary to take a lesson from all this and come up with some concrete plans," he adds.

Expanding the discussion of the fundamental right to earn, through Pawar's works, Kamble notes the concealed perspectives of human desires and destruction of love amid the fear of loss of security and lives - much of it brought by the state and the privileged--during the pandemic.

"We see at the face of it the drudgery of their squalid conditions but do we ever discuss their desires? They form an enslaved majority settled away from their spouses who they travel to meet for a few months after completing an unending two-year contract. Who shall carry the sin of their unfulfilled lives," Kamble adds. He describes the domestic element in Pawar's sculptures to be a "political tool for dissent".

Responsibility as an artist

As a member of the Secular Art Movement and one who takes inspiration from Dr BR Ambedkar's teachings of social justice and equality, Pawar always had an inclination towards creating works which will initiate a dialogue about contemporary issues affecting constitutional rights.

"Today's artwork could be tomorrow's history. I would like to tell the story of this migration through art. I believe that history can be better understood through art. It would also encourage people to learn from the mistakes of the past, for example the harsh lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic," he says, adding that not all artists are socially conscious today due to the looming fear of criticism by a set of people.

"The real need for social convergence today is to shake society without struggle. The absence of active expression of rage, grievances against injustices creates a false impression of everything being fine. This is today's tragedy," he adds.

Shift from commercial to conceptual works

What began as a challenge, Pawar now believes that he has fairly succeeded in creating a delicate, rhythmic reflection in a difficult and hard medium like metal. Image credit: Rohan Pawar

Pawar's sculptures on migration indicate his gradual shift from commercial to conceptual works. From exploring ‘nostalgia' as a theme in the early stages of his career, Pawar moved to capturing reflections - a series which won him the most prestigious art awards from Maharashtra government's Directorate of Arts and prestigious groups such as the Bombay Art Society and the Art Society of India.

Observing reflections of objects in the monsoon water that flooded his studio during heavy rains, Pawar studied the rhythmic patterns in the water along with the difficulties he faced as an independent artist.

"At first I thought it was challenging to sculpt an object and its reflection in water. I started thinking about it and I think I have succeeded to some extent in creating a delicate, rhythmic reflection in a difficult and hard medium like metal," he says.

After a much-awaited plan of shifting to social concepts, Pawar says a development in his thought-process has constantly led to the evolution of his art and style. As an established artist, he says it is now possible for him to invest time and his savings for producing works that provide a sense of accomplishment.

"I am not concerned about the earning aspect of my works. There is no fun in commercial art. If I would not have created these works on migration, my next generation will question me as to what I did when I witnessed the panic and the fear," concludes the artist.