Having developed a distinct identity and honing multiple hats, Owais Husain has carved a niche for himself in the art fraternity as a maestro artist
Exploring identity, iconography and urban mythology, and its evolution from one generation to the next, is something contemporary multimedia artist Owais Husain loves doing through his creations. The youngest son of art maestro MF Hussain, the artist strove hard to carve a distinct identity for himself. He combines his umpteen talents like photography, painting, video and installation, to explore and address the themes of his art.
Living and working in Mumbai and Dubai, his works cover diverse themes; from personal reflections on his experience of growing up in India, to more abstract, present day notions of journey, displacement, and blurred distinctions of cultural identity. His relationship with, and abstraction of a traditional Indian aesthetic is illustrated through his works. One phrase that completely mirrors the artist’s philosophy is ‘No one story to tell’.
His works are characterised by not only his varied experiences and influences, but also the multi-disciplinary artist he has grown to become. With numerous group and solo shows across galleries and museums in India, every piece of work has varied references. For instance, a set of delicate ink drawings on handmade Khadi paper of figures trying to communicate and connect to each other to no avail, in his series To Speak is to Disappear, 2009 has whimsical references. His works are complex illustrations that leave one fascinated. His more complex, poetic and abstract works include Heart of Silence, 2015, a multimedia installation, and My Body, A Fleet of Ships, 2014, in which acrylic panels are densely layered with photographic images and paintings surrounding fragments of terracotta figures.
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