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“Working through the lockdown was the only way I could get relief from the challenges and anxiety that we were all facing during the pandemic. I worked in water-colour in a serious manner for the first time since 2002 and in a smaller format, because going to the studio was close to impossible in the middle of the Second-Wave,” recalls Kabeer. Water-colour came as a welcome relief to Kabeer, since he has been working in acrylic and large format work ever since he came into the mainstream as a painter. Now water colour is like delicate like ‘fragile glass’, or like a newly born-child that has to be treated gently. “In many ways working with water-colour was like driving on the highway without any traffic. It is a clear way without any traffic knots that may cause mood swings, which can occur when one is working with either acrylic or oil,” says Kabeer who is now able to detect the mood changes that more often than not lead to a block in work.
The pandemic has presented us with such a situation that many artists have not been able to access their studios on a daily basis. In fact, for those who live further away from their studios it has been next to impossible. This has meant to change in a manner of working for many and there has been a noticeable migration towards a miniature format, towards drawing and sketching and noticeable return to painting with water-colours. Having said that though this has not been all that successful for every artist. Many have reported a sense of depression and despondency, an inability to develop a full-fledged body of work. For a few it has meant that the extra time and lack of distractions has resulted in a though provoking body of work that is new in its approach. One could say that Kabeer has been the lucky few who has managed to turn the lockdown to his advantage and has used this time to create a body of work that is fresh in style and approach.
Another work that captures one’s attention is titled Superstitious. Here the protagonist is a zoomorphic being with multiple heads doing what is known as the ‘ostrich act’. “Very often reality comes before us and we can see it, but we tend to ignore it. Everyone is suffering but rather than going towards a solution, they’re all trapped and stuck in acts of denial,” says the artist. This is a current reality that he’s suggests with his tongue firmly in his cheek. On a subliminal level he also hints towards a fear psychosis and uncertainty that is all pervasive.
Historical characters make it easier for viewers to related to the situation and metaphorically one may associate several similarities and draw parallels between historical and current conditions. Looking at something confusing through the lens of something we already understand often clarifies and allows us to elaborate on it.