Environment conjures up many images and ideas mentally. e word taken holistically manifests in becominginclusive of every dimension of our life. It begins within the body as an internal environment-physiological,psychological, intellectual-, extending to include social, cultural, and political, religious, urban, rural, nature, arti cial, industrial, technological, artistic, cray, and emotional with endless possibilities. Within the context of the environment that admits to becoming a signi cant concept, the artists have myriad choices in developing and evolving their creative expressions. Essentially the N-vironment references the positive and negative dimensions affecting and effecting life in metros and rural areas as well as Mother Nature generally. 

Twentieth century witnessed many artists challenging traditional ideas about painting and sculpture, and within today’s contemporary milieu new subjects, mediums, and approaches to making art have become popular. With artists partaking in the act of serving as agents of change, re ecting and provoking through their art social, cultural and environmental concerns, visual arts have acquired a compelling vibrancy inviting attention and becoming a tool in sensitizing and bringing awareness on issues facing humanity. Contextualized within their social milieu and reacting to issues, the artists have made possible multiple approaches in visualizing ideas, which could link culture, society politics and environment.

If art has to elicit response, it has to have powerful, dynamic and distinct imagery that would be different in today’s image-replete society. Life and art are integrally bound, requiring artist to articulate their concepts through metaphors and symbols and its manifestations through different medium and techniques. In their creative endeavours, artists put on different lenses of perception offering the viewer a colourful palette of themes and concepts that not only communicate their deep felt desires and expressions about their lived N-vironment but also make valid contribution to sensitizing public to contingent needs of the moment. N-vironmental issues have provoked re ection helping people to think critically and creatively. Art has embodied a relationship between humans and natural N-vironment throughout the ages. As this relationship changed, many artists began to address concerns about the way humans interacted with nature. Art in this respect not only informs but educates. Although art is generally passive it has the ability to connect with people on emotional and subliminal levels, sometimes inspiring heightened appreciation for nature. By cultivating imagination, engagement and reection, artists helps public to construct a positive approach towards N-vironment protection and sustainability. ey demonstrate that the arts make for powerful and personal learning experiences, inviting public to engage with their urban spaces through emotional and creative lenses, and thus help in bringing shig in attitudinal change.

Twentieth century was witness to artists inspiring public to take a fresh look at and reevaluate their relationshipwith nature. During the 1960s, a movement took place in which many artists started to favour ideas over objects, and worked for sites other than galleries and museum spaces. is seminal movement was the Land Art or the Earth Works, in which artists created art in the natural environment by literally sculpting the land. Well known artists who spearheaded this concept include Andy Goldsworthy, Michael Hiezer, Robert Smithson, James Turrelletal. Establishment of environmental awareness by these pioneering visionaries enabled sensitization of youngergeneration who articulated varied concerns through artistic expressions. e artists who have used diverse mediums, methodologies, materials and techniques with themes premised on N-vironment as eco social cultural issues cannot be termed ‘activists’ but whose sensibility attracted them to address these contingent issues facing humanity today. ese artists have meaningfully explored and experimented with their concepts, materials and medium to highlight issues that have become the bane of human civilization in the 21st century. By inventing personalized visual language they were able to create dynamic eco aesthetics, by sensitively reacting to contingent issues that gesture towards burning concerns. Art in its visuality has the power to attract and engage, as these artists works have proved. The aesthetics of engagement therefore, vitally stresses the contextual dimensions of nature and its multi- sensory experiences, viewing environment as a seamless unity of places, organisms and perceptions thus mandating preservation and protection. artists showcasing their works in this exhibition titled Meditation on N-vironment are Parvathi Nayar, Kumaresan selvaraj, Sunil Sree, Jacob Jebraj from Chennai, Rajan Krishnan from, Kerala, Preetha Kannan from Mumbai, Vaishali Oak from Pune, Mukesh Sharma from Delhi and Bharath akur from Bangalore. 

All these artists have engaged with a variety of medium, technique and style to offer their response to the depredationhappening in their environment from internal physiology, intellectual and mental environment, to unorganizedurban development, water depletion, technological detritus, industrialization in rural areas and saving theora in nature or admiring its sublime beauty and contemplative ambience.A thread of commonality conceptually runs through the works of all these artists. Elements of memory, fragility of time and space, technology as the veritable detrimental factor has been de ned and articulated through different medium, techniques style and visual language. A consanguity marks the appearance of these artists visualization bringing together the various strains in their works to manifest meditation on N-vironment.

Dr. Ashrafi S. Bhagat
Art Historian, Art Critic & Curator