‘Hunger’ (Bhukh)

Mother and Childhood (roti)

BRRREAD (Roti)

Throughout the history of human civilisation and beyond the geographical landscape or manmade borders, bread/roti is the most intent and vibrant part of our life. The material itself has lots of potentials to evoke several questions, sometimes incite very personal experience or sometimes it transverses the personal realm and reaches to a collective sphere. As Roti is subjected to our basic needs, it continuously comes in different forms of artistic expressions, sometimes with different metaphor or sometimes just as a harsh reality. Here, my attempt is to go beyond to this dilemma of metaphor and reality and unfolds the associated empirical experiences around this intent part of human life through a discursive method.

Initially, I start collecting the waste rotis from a roadside restaurant, near to my place and expressing my childhood memories, relationship between roti and motherhood. Eventually, the idea transforms into in different directions, addressing the relationship between woman and roti or unequal distribution of foods, spillage of foods, food scam etc..

During this pandemic and worldwide lockdown situation, the series opens up several different aspects of our society. The roti makers who used to make numerous numbers of rotis every day in different roadside restaurants, are now facing a severe crisis of food. Now, it is the time to rethink how our basic needs are forced to be alienated from our realm through different socio-political mechanisms.

Anupam Roy (Artist and Writer) New Delhi, India

Rajib Sikdar

Recipient of all India awards from AIFACS, New Delhi (twice) and from Camel Foundation Camlin Ltd. Mumbai, Rajib Sikdar was born in Nadia, West Bengal in 1979. He obtained his BFA degree in painting from Bengal Fine Arts College, West Bengal and masters from Agra University. He is a freelance artist and working in New Delhi. Apart from having many group and solo shows at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, Visual Arts Gallery, New Delhi, Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata, Lalit Kala Akademi, Lucknow, AIFACS, New Delhi, Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur, National Academy of art (Regional Centre), Lucknow, LKA (Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra), Guwahati, State Art Gallery, Hyderabad, Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, Shrimati Art

Gallery, Kolkata, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bengaluru, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, Kala Srot, Lucknow, Noti Binodini Memorial Art Gallery, Kolkata etc.. he has also participated in several state and all India art exhibitions & camps across the country including the 57th national art exhibition, LKA, New Delhi and fetched many more awards to his credit. His works are in the collections of many art galleries (including LKA, New Delhi) several corporate/ private collectors of art in India and abroad. Studio: New Delhi, India.

Phone: +91 9368689730

Email: artfamily000@gmail.com , rajib.sikdar.art@gmail.com

Mountain of Nightmares (roti)

Hungry when hungry (roti)