Deepak Kathait
Untitled, from the series Nature-Nature
2023 It's Not Easy Being Green
Deepak Kathait
Medium:
Photograph
Displayed:
Across the UK and Brazil 7 Oct - 10 Nov
Artwork Description:
Wildfire is an urgent and global issue of our time. From recent fires in LA to Europe, Africa and Asia, its impact is widespread, affecting individual lives, manmade infrastructure and natural ecosystems. This work, from Kathait’s Nature-Nature series, contemplates human intervention upon the Earth, and the way it causes a mental and ecological crisis.
Post- pandemic, envisaging to develop a holistic and sustainable practice, the artist relocated to the Garhwal Himalayas in India. He has encountered wildfires every summer since, which have severely affected the flora, fauna and ecosystems the region is renowned for, as well as the overall health of locals. With Nature-Nature Kathait aims to raise awareness of this issue, amongst the public and policy makers, and to encourage a better, more holistic approach to tackling these challenges.
Artist's Comment:
Raising consciousness about human inner and outer ecological issues and adopting a holistic and sustainable measure is the way forward.
Bio:
Deepak Kathait (b.1988, Chamoli Garhwal Himalaya, India) is a visual artist based between India and the UK. Kathait’s multidisciplinary practice includes drawing and painting, photography, text, collage and digital media. His work explores themes of existential, geo-political and ecological mapping, collective consciousness and the human condition in uncertain times, and envisaging a new design for living with awareness and balance.
Since the pandemic, Kathait’s practice has responded to the global growth of mental health and the ecological crises, embodying holistic wellness and sustainability as practice. In 2020, Kathait received and MA from the Royal College of Art, also winning its new photography prize. His image-based works have received honourable mentions several times from the prestigious International Photography Awards (IPA). He was also the recipient of a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The artist has recently shown at Arles Photography Festival, Method Gallery, New Delhi and Bangalore Art Weekend. He also had a solo show with the Gujral Foundation, New Delhi.
