Image Credit - Tao Art Gallery
Viraj Khanna's upbringing in an environment rich with art, particularly textiles and embroidery, has influenced the way he views and creates artifacts. In order to communicate specific emotions, ideas, or perspectives, Khanna combines embroidery work, various textiles and different elements. Khanna's artworks represent the realisation that a person's identity is influenced by the others around them, societal influences, and their personal experiences; and he has attempted to capture the complexity of the human condition by using vivid textile materials. Making the transition to collages, paintings, and sculptures has liberated him and allowed him to convey related notions and ideologies in a completely different medium.
Viraj has always held the view that creativity is a skill that can be developed through practice. As a result, working with new tools or settings is never too daunting for him. Beginning with collage work—cut up parts of magazines, articles, encyclopedias, and other miscellaneous, found items—he progressively transitioned to more sculptural shapes, with the initial collage work serving as the inspiration for the basic concept. His artworks illustrate a break in the natural order of things and how imperfections permeate every aspect of daily life.
Khanna's embroidery and paintings are incredibly chaotic. We see deformed bodies, some with ghostly eyes peering through layers of paint and spatter; in one artwork, a woman's body juxtaposed with a fish head, and another artwork depicts a man wearing masks that are covered in various facial features.“There is a constant battle between our raw, natural form versus our conditioned form.” His exploration of different artistic media and techniques demonstrates the level of experimentation that is representative of the various thematic layers in his oeuvre.