Ranjan Malik | Interview

Times of Youth: For those who don’t know about you and your work, can you tell us a little about yourself?

The visual world of human creativity is constantly in a state of flux, more so in the realm of painting. There is an eternal quest for the new in terms of theme, expression, style and trend. There is never a final pavilion nor a final destination for our clan, known as the artists. We believe in movement and keeping the environment dynamic and ‘contemporary’ always. Our new generation keeps trying out something different all the time thereby drawing the art lover to their canvases again and again with renewed interest.

I belong to this new clan of young artists striving to make their mark in the big bad world of contemporary art. In this quest, I find it most interesting that my work is constantly evolving, moving from one theme to another, trying out different styles, experimenting with application of colour and attempting a whole new overall impact. A healthy discontentment backed by a self belief pushes me on into new horizons.

Times of Youth: How would you describe your work to someone who has never known about it?

I am a full time creative artist, who believes that painting is the expression of one’s inner vision. The vision opens and guides my eyes to the shapes, tones, colors around me and their eternal relationship with the interplay of light that creates a sensation. I paint because I wish to respond and communicate to this sensation. Mostly I like to paint human figures against an abstract background for visual aesthetics. The aspects of tension and its release in life around us interests me deeply and I pick my subjects from social relationships.

Times of Youth: What sparked your initial interest in arts?

I paint because I wish to respond and communicate to this sensation. I get inclined towards figurative shapes and colour tones rendered in surrealistic style with different mediums and brush strokes for my paintings.

Right from my student days my journey of life so far has been marked by struggle at a personal as well as a creative level. As a keen observer of the contemporary scenario, I have worked hard at my sketches and canvases to give shape to my own concepts of form and colour. From an early involvement with realistic rendering, I have gradually moved into abstraction, experimenting with laying of patches of interacting colours. However, over passage of time, the aspect of abstraction has slowly moved to the background while forms and shapes have started taking the center stage in my later works. The early realism has come back into my work in the form of surrealistic expression laced by a style of flat and bold application of colour that gives the viewer a pleasure to watch the paintings.

Times of Youth: At what age did you start doing all this work? Has your family always been supportive of this choice of career?

All the way from childhood, I have been in touch with arts. From drawing on walls with charcoal sticks and making clay toys to practicing endlessly in college. Coming from Balasore, a small town in Odisha, I’ve always been quite modest, unassuming and easy to get along with. After graduating in fine arts from BK College of Arts and Crafts, Bhubaneswar in 2000, I went on to complete my MFA in Fine arts as well as History of art from Dr. BR Ambedkar University, Agra. I’ve also successfully completed my PhD in Fine arts at MGCGV, Chitrakoot.

Yes, my family has always been supportive of my choice of career. My father Mr. B.N. Mallik, my mother Mrs. Hemangini Mallik and my loving wife, Mrs. Sonia Mallik, who herself is an artist, have always supported me in all my endeavours. And I would also like to extend my thanks to my friends, teachers and senior artists for their guidance and support as well.

Times of Youth: Which of your projects are you most proud of and why?

When reflecting, some projects still bring a smile to my face. Namely, establising a creative artist group – ‘Chhavi Mela’, in Odisha, developing an Ethnic Art Village at Agra University, Uttar Pradesh, organizing an International Art Workshop at The Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, coordinating the attempt for the World’s biggest Art Workshop at Alibagh, Mumbai (with approximately 600 artists from all over the world) and more recently, establishing an Art Gallery at the Amity University Campus in Gurgaon which  showcases the works of the faculty and students of the Amity School of Fine Arts. There are many more artistic projects and documentary films I have worked on, but let us save them for another time.

Times of Youth: Where do you see yourself in next 5 years?

I wish to further my work and establish myself as a well known contemporary artist in the international art scene, and explore the limits of my potential. I also wish to engage myself in social work related to the creative field. I see myself working towards this cause, reaching ever closer to my goals.

Times of Youth: Any message to your fans or followers via TIMES OF YOUTH?

Explore yourself, work hard (honestly), so hard work will give you name, name will give fame, and fame will give you success.

Times of Youth: Do tell us how fans can contact you to share their appreciation/feedback/suggestions.

They can come to my Art Studio or search me on Facebook by name– Ranjan Mallik, New Delhi, India or Ranjan Malik or Ranjansonia Mallik, New Delhi, India.