Avijit Roy is an artist who has made a name for himself with his works that pulsate with life. He chooses to portray the bull as an animal that exudes power and aggression, at the same time he gives each sketch of the animal an individuality and uniqueness of expression. He is also endeavouring to bring into focus the print medium of creating artworks. He himself works with techniques like lithographs and chinecolle to create prints.

What made you interested in art?
For me, art is an instinct which comes from within. It is a language that I use to express myself when I react to things in society around me. Like any other child I also became interested in art while at school, where my teachers also encouraged me. However, my first love was athletics, I would take part in the Pentathlon at the national level and would practice almost 6 hours a day. However, when I was in the 12th grade I suffered a knee injury and had to spend over a year recuperating, that was the end of my athletic career and I turned to art.

You grew up in Calcutta but studied printmaking at the Baroda School of Art, how did that happen?
I actually did my bachelors in art at the Calcutta art college. I also studied art history in the Calcutta University. Later I started my own art school, but after a year I decided that this was not my field. I moved to Rajasthan where I learnt fresco paintings and also taught drawing and watercolour. It was then that I came across and advertisement for the Baroda art university, I applied and was selected for post diploma studies in print making.

What got you interested in print making?
When I was doing my BFA, print making was one of the 5 subjects I studied. I also observed the prints of senior artists and got influenced. I realised that my artistic style was suitable to print making. Later at the Baroda school I explored lithography. It was in Baroda I learnt the concept of ‘pure art’ – to not just be a ‘master of copy’ and go beyond the skills to adding aesthetics.

You also had the opportunity to study at the Wimbledon School of Art, how was the experience?
Through the British Council I got a scholarship – The Charles Wallace Trust award, to study advanced printmaking, chinecolle etc. I felt that the style of teaching was very similar to the Indian art schools. In fact, I would put the Baroda School of Art on par with the British Royal College of Art. I got a lot of exposure there by visiting galleries museums etc. I also got a chance to visit Germany, Italy and Holland.

What was the response to your work when you participated in group shows abroad?
When I was showing my works abroad, I had not started executing my chinecolle works. At that time I was doing a kind of fusion of etching and chinecolle. I got the opportunity to meet with international artists. I sold many works from my bull series. However, I felt in certain instances that the thinking was still narrow minded then (late ‘90’s) they still expected Indian art to be about miniature paintings and did not think that Indian artists should or could do contemporary art.

Could you elaborate on the Chincolle technique and works you create?
The word chinecolle is a fusion from two languages. The ‘chine’ is Chinese meaning thin paper; the ‘colle’ is French which refers to pasting. Thus, chinecolle technique refers to creating artworks by pasting layers of thin paper. The art originated in China and was revived in the 19th century in Europe. I use it as the main medium in my works without any drawing or etching. I colour the paper with different colours using French pigments or in some cases leave the natural colour of the rice paper. I then cut it and use the litho press to paste 2 – 3 layers. I use only acid free paper for this which I source from Nepal and Sikkim. The process is different from a collage because here I am not just pasting but also creating relief and texturing. I my knowledge I am the only person doing chinecolle work in India.

What do you try to convey through your works?
My work is my reaction to what I see and experience around me. I portray things like bulls and knives in my works because for me they are a reaction to the violence and terror in today’s times. The knife motif in my works is translated into something that is not so threatening, hence I call the series “bold and beauty.” I work in many mediums including sculpture.

Tell us more about the project you are working on to promote the print medium in India?
This is a project that some of us artists who are working in the print medium have conceptualised. Marvel Art Gallery based in Ahmedabad is going to be involved in the marketing and promotions. 40 artists ,from all over India who use the print medium in creating their works, have agreed to be a part of this project. 30 portfolios of their prints are planned to be created. There artists include familiar names like Jairam Patel, Jogen Chowdhury, Sannath Kar, Amit Ambalal, Laxma Gouda ... The portfolios should be ready in 2010 and will be very reasonable priced because the main intention is to increase the popularity of prints as a medium of art. Prints are slowly gaining prominence in India with art collectors realising their worth. This project being executed by Avijit Roy in conjunction with other artists should really bring this medium to the fore.

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