Press Release

Season opening of Zurich city centre galleries on the left side of the river Limmat, 25 August 2011

Viveek Sharma, Sarika Bajaj In(dia) Reflections

Opening: Thursday 25 August 2011, 6.00 – 8.00pm Duration of show: 26 August – 22 September 2011

Since 1990, Fabian & Claude Walter Galerie have gradually expanded their programme to include new artistic positions from Asia. Following Korea, Indonesia and Japan, a special focus has now been placed on India. The gallery thus looks forward to celebrating this year’s season opening of Zurich galleries on the left side of the Limmat on 25 August 2011 with two Indian artists from Mumbai: Viveek Sharma and Sarika Bajaj. The exhibition titled In(dia) Reflections will offer an exciting mixture of figurative paintings and drawings by these two artists.

While Viveek Sharma (b. 1968, Mumbai) counts among the renowned Indian artists and is internationally represented, Sarika Bajaj (b. 1976, Ghaziabad) is being introduced as a new artistic discovery. On the occasion of this show, their work is being presented in Europa for the first time. The title In(dia) Reflections can be interpreted in two ways, either as Being Lost in Thought or as Indian Thoughts. Both meanings hold true to the work of these artists, who in their imagery reflect the rich culture of their multifaceted country.

India is a land of extremes. Viveek Sharma sees and is familiar with these contrasts and captures them in his pictures – free from accusation or judgement. He discovers many of his motifs in his hometown Mumbai, the city of his dreams both in a positive and negative sense. Following his graduation from the acclaimed J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai, Sharma, known in India under the pseudonym Painter of Metaphors, initially focussed on drawing. This technique still forms the basis for his present work. The artist has been painting photorealist pictures since 2005, in which he reflects and visualises his impressions, emotions and experiences or actual incidents. He illustrates social, economic and political topics alongside each other. However, as it still is impossible to address certain political and religious issues openly in India today, Sharma makes use of subtly encoded messages or metaphors. Not only does he insert specific symbols to mediate content, but he also makes use of portraits. Mahatma Gandhi, as the father of the nation, plays a central role in Sharma’s work. Mostly accompanied by a white dove in the painting, he symbolises peace, freedom and international understanding. The artist frequently also portrays himself as part of the image content to indicate his connection with the narrative and his emotional involvement in what is represented.

The artist Sarika Bajaj also includes her self-portrait as a meaningful motif in her work. In many respects there exists a link between her and the artist Viveek Sharma. After receiving her diploma in Fine Arts in 2009 from the Rachna Sansad Academy of Art in Mumbai, she developed an individual figurative style of painting unprecedented in India and inspired by Pop Art. In her early works the artist treated sociopolitical topics, such as the growing violence or the increasing economic rift between the poor and the rich in her country. As from 2010, she made her own person the main subject of her works. Where Viveek Sharma reflects the outer world in his images, Sarika Bajaj’s paintings, by contrast, are self-referential and allude to her inner world. Her portrait forms part of each and every work, her motifs are an expression of her thoughts and imagination. Notwithstanding, her images are not mere phantasms, but visualisations of her Hindu view of life. Sarika Bajaj deals with her desires and fears as well as with the topics death and reincarnation. She is fascinated by the secret of life and the invisible forces surrounding humans.


Both artists will be present at the opening and will be available for interviews in English. Please do not hesitate to contact us for images or further information on the show.

Fabian & Claude Walter Simone Toellner