The Deadly and Delightful: Jai Zharotia’s Art
This week in Daak:
1. The Deadly and Delightful: Jai Zharotia’s Art
2. The Joy of Handwritten Notes
3. Daak Recommends
1. The Deadly and Delightful: Jai Zharotia’s Art
There is not much by way of biography that we can share about Jai Zharotia (1945 – 2021). He was born into a humble family of craftsmen in Delhi, pursued fine arts despite financial difficulty and then went on to become a professor at his alma mater, the Delhi College of Art. Along the way, he also became interested in poetry, jotting down his words in the same sketchbook where he captured his visual impressions.
This meagre story, however, belies the incredible journey of self-discovery and imagination that is visible in his work. Zharotia’s art is strange and otherworldly, deliberately going beyond what is seen and possible to see. His fascination with the mysteries of other realms creates a kind of dark fantasy, which is both deadly and delightful, offering a momentary escape into the unknown.
I am part of some unsolved matrix of the universe. I have a firm belief; Whenever I tried to solve it, I became part of it. I became a stranger to myself, and I witnessed images come and go as I breathed. The physical world unbinds these images; they can move wherever they desire. They dance up and down, here and there, dissolve into each other and sometimes even disappear. The eternal movement of the cosmic world creates mysteries and riddles which always baffle and haunt me. It whispers to me about the intrinsic unity of celestial events. Therefore, everything comes out from ONE and returns to the ONE, and that ONE is all.
2. The Joy of Handwritten Notes
When was the last time you wrote a note to someone - not for a specific occasion but just to share a random anecdote, a faint impression, a fading memory? Check out our collection of assorted and thematic postcards and send a loved one a handwritten note.
3. Daak Recommends
Watch this three-part interview with Jai Zharotia to hear about his early influences, years of training and teaching career: part 1, part 2 and part 3.
If you enjoyed Jai Zharotia’s art, read another Daak on an artist with a similar aesthetic, Ganesh Pyne.