‘Bombay Landscape’

Tina Chandroji’s artworks are a good example of an unusual and unconventional focus on the apparently mundane things so as to get a much clearer idea of the very complex. Through her series, ‘Bombay Landscape’ on view at Mumbai’s Tao art gallery the artist preserves and presents the city seen from her own perspective, an accompanying note by Sanjana Shah elaborates as follows:

• “A city that is made of its hustle bustle, of the ordinary people doing ordinary things, of the markets and products that serve the inhabitants, without which the very livelihood of this city would dwindle,” . “Despite their being no actual presence of people in her paintings, the attention to detail given in the décor and interiors of the store, provide a clear idea of the lives and beliefs of the majority classes of people in Mumbai.”
  
• “The inevitable central position of a god in each of her paintings be it Hanuman, Shiva, Saraswati, Jesus, or the Muslim aayat, is a tribute to the city’s multi-cultural and secular nature, a city belonging to not one but all its different residents. In the workplace especially, the day begins and ends with god and there is a common feeling of trust and dependency amongst the people of all religions towards god. This devotion has been passed on through the generations and it is the legacy of our ancestors, who are also respected by Indian customs and families.
  
• “Without an awareness of the importance of all these small components in the larger picture of India, they will soon be lost beyond recovery. It seems that only through art can a balance be found, and the identity of the people conserved. Tina brings this fine balance and reminds the viewer of an India that is of its people, from its people and for its people.”

She looks to highlight the intricacies of our through her technique, using beautiful colors and performing upon her canvas a process of layering. An effort to depict the finer various finer shades of reality as well as the environ can be seen against the backdrop of modernization, giving rise to a fear of losing out the culture and traditions.