Featuring the sublime works of Siddharth Shingade, KYNKYNY’s latest exhibition uncovers the beauty, resilience and hidden stories of rural Maharashtra

KYNKYNY’s latest exhibition ‘Secrets of the Soil’ journeys to the ancient and arid region of Marathwada, which forms the epicenter of rising contemporary artist Siddharth Shingade’s atmospheric artistic universe. On view from January 21 to February 18, the solo exhibition brings to the surface, hidden and unknown stories and facts about this vast land, its people and culture, interwoven with stories from mythology and treasured childhood memories. grew up in Tuljapur– an idyllic village set in southern Maharashtra, it has grown into a bustling and crowded town over the years. Now living in the city of Mumbai, he recreates Tuljapur in his art works as he remembers it – through the prism of his subconscious memories, visions and imagination.

The unseen, unheard, often marginalised people who inhabit the villages of Marathwada– toy sellers, gypsies, farmers and ordinary village folk that Shingade encountered as a child – are the protagonists of the earthy yet ethereal paintings. Favourite recurring muses are toy sellers with their baskets of wooden toys who would sit down to rest outside his home after ahot day in the sun,the gypsy womenin his village who made colourfulembroideredblankets and animals companions such as cows and goats.

Portrayed in a state of oneness with the landscape around them, thecharacters in Shingade’s timeless world seem part-earthly and part-mythical, layered in diaphanous textures and elegant folds of fabric in mesmerising gradations of colour. Wearing anair of brooding, wistful beauty, the dusky, bejewelled figureswith kohl-rimmed eyes are firmly rooted in the earth, and are depicted in thedark tones of the soil that pervades this region. Shingade turns their serene faces and bodies intoa canvas over which he layers remarkably intricate motifs, folk imagery and spiritual symbols.Despite their mythical appearance, the paintings are grounded in reality –thefaces are often depicted without lips to denotea state of alienation and voicelessness.

‘Secrets of the Soil’ is a deep dive into the various phases and seriesencompassing Shingade’s rich artistic career, from Buddha paintings expressing love and compassion andworks inspired by Lord Krishna and Hindu mythology to his signatureotherworldly trees and depictions of rustic life.While the subjects are grounded in the regional and the indigenous, the themes of nature, divinity and mythical stories that he explores are expansive and universal. The art works are also vividly contemporary as seen in the unusual patterns, colouring, tone and aesthetics. Varying across the different series of works, colour is used powerfully to convey mood and emotion, from sombre and mellow hues and earthy brows and reds to luxuriant and vibrant gold, blues and greens.

Siddharth Shingade’s multidimensional art unravels in layers, revealing its many mysteries and nuances.Full of wisdom and spirituality, the works transcend their specific environmentto delve into the deeper ideas of connection to the land, the loss of this fragile relationship in our over-urbanised citiesand the courage and strength of the men and women of rural India.