Roshan Chhabria

I find the everyday life and the dynamics of an Indian middle-class family very interesting. The subject matter of my work is heavily influenced by my observations and, to a certain extent, experiences of being a young member (only son) of a Sindhi middle-class family.

In my view, the formal quality of an art work plays a significant role in distinguishing suppiriour art. In my work I constantly strive to achieve a certain perfection in the line drawing. This becomes a pivotal aspect for me to identify myself as an artist. Take, for example, many observations I make in my work are universal. Still, as an artist, I constantly struggle to illustrate my subject matter in an authentic manner that is unique to my sensibilities. Due to these ideas, I find myself in a constant state of conflict while painting, as I find my way of negotiating and highlighting the subject matter while doing justice to the formal quality of my work.

I take visual cues and references from the illustrations found in locally published and affordable books, women's magazines, the newspaper, eye-catchy local signboards, texts from religious, educational books, found objects, etc. I also use both borrowed and my own text in my work. The misspellings and irregular conjugation indicate the humor I observe in my subject, i.e., the middle class. 

Artists that influence my work are Bhupen Khakhar (the formal elements, humor, and the depiction of the subjects in his work), Robert Rauschenberg (his use of material and the found object), Richard Hamilton (his commentary on changing dynamics of an urban family), Raoul Hausmann (his use of found object for his work).

My display is mostly a cluster-like arrangement of works, texts, and sometimes found objects relevant to my subject matter. It can be on the wall or the floor, which looks like objects displayed in a flea market. Popular culture, consumerism, and stereotypes have also played a significant role in my work.

An excerpt from an article written by Ryan Holmberg which I would like to add 
"....that overtly good kids act like funny automatons that led Chhabria to dovetail the trope of "ideal boy" with a Dada-inflected parody of Indian consumerism .....Chhabria's framing of Pop as an extension of Dada reflects a keen understanding of art history; it also reflects social conditions in India."