Working in a diverse array of materials, Jitish Kallat makes installations, paintings, and sculptures that take inspiration from the people and paradoxes of his native city of Mumbai. His monumental sculptures, such as Eruda and Annexe (2006), mythologize India’s urban poor, whom he depicts as both disenfranchised and remarkably resilient. He cites a broad range of influences, from Pop art and Dada to Persian miniatures and billboards, coalescing in a distinctive handmade aesthetic. His series of paintings “Dawn Chorus” (2007) feature street children whose heads of hair are depicted as black-and-white city scenes, teeming with people and vehicles.
Working in a diverse array of materials, Jitish Kallat makes installations, paintings, and sculptures that take inspiration from the people and paradoxes of his native city of Mumbai. His monumental sculptures, such as Eruda and Annexe (2006), mythologize India’s urban poor, whom he depicts as both disenfranchised and remarkably resilient. He cites a broad range of influences, from Pop art and Dada to Persian miniatures and billboards, coalescing in a distinctive handmade aesthetic. His series of paintings “Dawn Chorus” (2007) feature street children whose heads of hair are depicted as black-and-white city scenes, teeming with people and vehicles.