Different cities and their flavours, varied traditions and a plethora of styles converge on Nilofer Suleman’s canvases. And coming together, they weave a compelling narrative. From Hindu deities to film posters to shop signs, hoardings, there is something for everyone in Nilofer’s works. Nostalgia intertwined with humour marks Nilofer Suleman’s first exhibition in Delhi, “Jantar Mantar” mounted at Latitude 28 in Lado Sarai.
Streets and its many quirks and ordinariness of daily life informs Nilofer’s work. “The colour palette is very Indian and so is the content. The people that you see in my work are from my surroundings, the flower seller, the barber my son goes to…This is the world I connect with and I didn’t want to intellectualise. I wanted a cup of chai, regular chai,” says the Bangalore-based artist, who was mesmerised by the old world charm of Delhi on her visit and thus based her work on it.
That old world charm is missing in Bangalore but very much intact in Delhi and Mumbai, she feels. “So, when I went to Delhi, I took around 2000 photographs. I explored every nook and corner of Chandni Chowk. And for me Chandni Chowk is another version of Chor Bazaar,” says the artist, who has been painting for 20 years.
Hugely interested in miniatures, its influences can clearly be seen in Nilofer’s work. “I believe that God lies in details. If you see the eyes, they are clearly inspired by the Kalighat Patachitra tradition. Before I got interested in miniatures, I did cubism for a while and also abstract art but realised it wasn’t coming from my soul. It had to be something I grew up with and I grew up with “Kala Paani”, “Pyaasa”, Kishore Kumar, songs of Begum Akhtar and bylanes of Chor Bazaar etc…,” expresses Nilofer, who was born in Indore but spent considerable time in Mumbai. Unconsciously the flavours of these three cities also find a way into her canvases where they blend seamlessly.
Sitting in the verandah of her house dotted with plants and arty knick-knacks — Raja Ravi Varma’s oleographs, posters, old statues — her fascination for the old world is apparent. “I collect old stuff because I don’t want anything vintage to go away,” says the artist who is now working towards her solo in Hong Kong.
(The show “Jantar Mantar” is on at Latitude 28, Lado Sarai till January 10)
