The Diffusive Expanses of Hemraj

The consciousness rising out of the realisation of the redundancy of a fragmented mind, is explored by the roller strokes application of contemporary artist Hemraj.

He sprinkles many small abstract forms of different colours that fill up the entire mass of his canvasses. They are simplistic shapes mostly trying to fix into each other and they generally loosely do. It does look like they have made an effort to fit into one another. Hence only partial success is achieved at that. Emits a metaphoric fragrance, does it? 

His roller then decisively moves over most of those forms splattered beneath to acquire a nearly diffusive effect. These minuscule abstract beings beneath trying to fit into each other while trying to assert an individualistic presence is all neutralised by the impact of the all enveloping wide strokes that of the roller that arrives unannounced to mark its providential presence! 

Cannot miss the metaphoric aroma once again! 

These befitting roller strokes are as  if the master strokes : that declare the ones clamouring for attention from beneath as insignificant. Conveys what? Does it whisper to your ears what it does to me? 

Hemrajs works are thus a huge narrative of life in an interestingly philosophic manner. The joy that arises to meet with the diffusion of those smaller forms beneath, is again reflective of the joy of being able to liberate oneself of these minor fragmented existences whether between one another or within one self, that with ignorance we lead, awarding them pseudo momentous dimensions. 

And the final emission is that of joy…an ambience of jubilation…merriment…gala festivity! That’s what an intense abstract work does …infuses one with the essence of its final emission.

The futility of extracting meaning from the apparent concrete forms, the opaque smaller forms, as they weren’t meant to carry any meaning suggestive as it is.  And then the translucence awarded to those that lacked transparency by the invisible larger rollers... the invisible hand lends the dissemination. 

If we were to unravel a little from this metaphoric suggestion: these concrete forms were filled with opaque colours because they didn’t have the substance to make any deep statements that were food for thought or beyond thought. Hence they lack transparency. 

But when the colourless roller moves over them it homogenises them into a translucent mass accumulating the statement of their redundancy at unfurling anything of depth! It was mere clamour all this while! 

Questions Hemraj lightheartedly in an apparently casual exchange, if there anything worth thinking about? 

Left me stumbled at the simplicity of his emission.

Bhoomika Jain

Artist and art critic