Nikhil Chopra

The artist uses theatrical props to create the impression of a 'still life' painting. Each performance unfolds in long-durational ‘happenings’, carried out over the course of one-day or several, in slow, deliberate and ritualized movements. Everyday actions like washing, eating, shaving, sleeping and dressing form the script of the performance, the central and only character of which is often seen making a large drawing on canvas of urban vistas seen in his immediate environment.

Each action or pause is pregnant with the anticipation that a transformation will take place – for example, when the bearded man picks up a razor to shave off only part of his beard or to tonsure his head. The act of shaving the head as a ritual is often associated with the death of immediate family. It is a symbolic, spiritual act of catharsis that suggests the shedding of the ego. Nikhil Chopra's performances may be seen as a form of storytelling that intermingles family histories, personal narrative and everyday life.