Chintan Upadhyay: The Self-Confessed “Provocative” Artist

“I am a provocative artist,” said Chintan Upadhyay. We tell you more.

Chintan Upadhyay was supposed to be in Jaipur in February 2016 to showcase his work – which seems to be a rare possibility now.

He describes himself as a “provocative artist” and once faced criticism for a nude painting. He shifted to Delhi from Mumbai four years ago after some personal problems which he said “were taking over my mind and space”.

One of Chintan’s favourite projects named ‘Gandi Baat’ was a direct reference to the abusive language and gestures that pervades the public space. “Abusive language has become the new aesthetic. Gandi baat has entered the public domain, but it is no longer taboo. It’s become cool,” the artist said when the sketches were released.

In 2005, he stunned all by posing naked as a part of his programme ‘Baar Baar, Har Baar, Kitni Baar?’ to protest the horrific Gujarat riots. He sat cross-legged with a bowl of turmeric and viewers were asked to apply it on his body as a gesture of compassion.

Upadhyay said by way of explanation, at the same,

I am talking not just about him but about all the forces that create communal differences. Ultimately not just political forces but people were also involved in the whole thing. There could be a difference of opinion here because I remember I was here and people were saying that whatever happened was good and Modi was right on his side, he did the right thing.

It was basically an idea about the body. About how people actually see body at that time and how they react to it. There were cases during the riots where people were stripped naked and burnt and women were raped. Though my intention was not to draw attention towards that but to observe how a human body is perceived by the masses. Why we perpetuate the body in a certain way. The idea was not nude but naked. Simultaneously it was the naked truth. More gestural than literal.

Taking a cue from a real incident during the Gujarat riots, where the womb of a pregnant woman was slashed and the baby burnt by the rioters, Upadhyay churned out a painting.

Just a month ago, on 21 November, Chintan was detained in Jaipur for an aerial installation of a cow. It was intended to send a message for saving the cattle and did not even involve a real animal.

In an interview, he said that cows die on streets eating plastic and this artwork was a clarion call to stop it.

Chintan was also vocal about the air of “intolerance” in India and emphasised that the police should not be telling the artists what to do.