‘My work used to shock people’

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Bizarre could be the word you’re looking for. But a few minutes into an interview with artist Viraj Naik, that observation is at best, one dimensional. Fresh from a showcase at India Fine Art (Mumbai), Viraj’s work is inspired by Greek and Indian mythology and consists of hybridised forms of flora and fauna. It’s a representation that will result in intrigue and a lot of raised eyebrows.

“People used to be scared and shocked by my art. It was only children who showed interest. They were fascinated as the figures would remind them of Panchatantra. They would often ask me about the story behind these characters and I would usually tell them to make up their own,” says 36-year-old Viraj, a native of Goa.
An only child, he grew up reading comics and watching wildlife channels. “Children are easily accepting. Once the kids showed appreciation, parents warmed up to my work.” Through his work Viraj is able to bring to canvas his surrounding, the people he comes across and the influences of his Goan roots. “What I am doing is nothing new. If you’ve read Hindu and Greek mythology, you’ll realise that hybrids have long existed in the art world in the form of Garuda, Hanuman, etc. What’s different in my work is the interpretation,” says Viraj.
Titled ‘Hybridisation’, around 36 pieces of his art works were on display in Mumbai — a collection inspired by the Western Ghats. “In the beginning, my parents had no idea what I was doing. To be an artist in Goa and to be able to make a living at that time was very difficult. My parents were always worried about how I would sustain myself, but thankfully they never forced me.”
It was during one of his school picnic trips to Western Ghats that Viraj got the idea for the current series. “Hybridisation is a nostalgic series inspired by my childhood spent at the Western Ghats. I love nature and my work is a way of making a point against deforestation. I can’t be an environmentalist or an activist, but as an artist I can paint. What I have portrayed are images of animals that don’t even exist. My point is there is so much more in the Western Ghats that would cease to exist if those forests are destroyed,” says Viraj.
Awarded the young artist scholarship by the Ministry of Culture in 2001 and Artist in Residency, Frans Masereel Centrum (Belgium) 2012, among other laurels, the turning point in Viraj’s life was his stint at the University of Hyderabad, for a Master degree in fine arts. “Spending time away from Goa made me realise what I was not seeing. When something is taken away from you, then you realise its significance. In Hyderabad, I came across different cultures and artists. My lecturers were Laxma Goud, D.L.N. Reddy and Shyam Sundar. After my Master’s, I worked as an apprentice in Laxma Goud’s studio. That phase was inspiring and I got to learn a lot,” says Viraj.
He was also a guest lecturer at the University of Hyderabad, and then he continued teaching art at a Navy school in Goa. “I taught only for one-and-a-half years, but that was more than enough. It was really rewarding working with little kids, but it gets monotonous as you have to teach the same thing every year,” he says. Talking about the art scene in Goa, the artist feels that it has evolved tremendously. “Earlier, the fate of any artist was to end up as a teacher in a government school; but not any more. Artists are doing their own thing and setting up independent studios,” he says.
And that’s exactly what Viraj wants to do now, his own thing. He wants to focus on painting and conducting more exhibitions around the country.