Art series places B’luru landmarks in US settings

Samiksha Adukia

New York-based artist Samiksha Adukia has created a series of paintings merging the landmarks of various Indian and US cities. Popular Bengaluru landmarks also make an appearance in the series.

Called ‘Blending Borders’, the series includes 24 graphite and watercolour artworks so far. A tax consultant by profession, Samiksha is in the process of creating the 25th artwork. She plans to create 30 art pieces in total.

A subsection of the series ‘Namma Bengaluru USA Edit’ is gaining traction online. It features well-known Bengaluru haunts such as Vidyarthi Bhavan placed against the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (SF), KR Market merged with the Pier 39 market in SF, and Blossom Book House, which makes two appearances. In ‘Blossom in the Bay’, the iconic Church Street bookstore has been imagined in place of City Lights Bookstore in SF, and in ‘Blossom in the Big Apple’, it has been replaced by Strand bookstore in New York City (NYC).

Another painting titled ‘MTR x MacDougal’ features Mavalli Tiffin Room, and Toit in a popular NYC neighbourhood. “Bengaluru slang graffiti can be seen all over the ATM door and shop hoardings transliterated in Kannada,” Samiksha adds about the painting.

Prajavani, a Kannada daily, too is seen in one of her works. Called ‘Bengaluru mornings in NYC Subway’, the artwork features a South Indian man in a white cotton panche browsing an edition of Prajavani while sitting next to a Hasidic Jew on the NYC Subway. This painting was the artist’s attempt at incorporating the Kannada script into the series. Explaining the painting, she adds, “What’s beautiful about NYC is that it’s made up of people who sharply differentiate from the mainstream crowd, and yet assimilate into NYC culture. Like these two passengers. The passenger reading Prajavani is in an immaculate white cotton panche with traditional red border, vibhuti on his forehead, vintage golden watch and stone ring. Sitting next to him is the Hasidic Jew recognised by the custom black, double-breasted suit made of 100 percent wool and white shirt, curled earlocks hanging down from under his hat and descending into his beard. Two relaxed and seemingly unaware New Yorkers in very tumultuous times.”

‘Blending Borders’ also features other Indian cities such as Kolkata and Mumbai.

Hailing from Surat, having moved around cities through her adult life, Samiksha has an intimate connection with the series. “I believe that we are wild spirits that cannot be confined to one place. In this series, I try to capture my imaginations and merge the souls of different places, evoking limitless emotions,” she tells Metrolife. She dedicates the series “to the people whose hearts lie in more than one place”. “It is an ode to the experience of moving out of comfort zones and embracing the unfamiliar. An ode to loving the new without having to stop loving the old,” she adds.

The art may be viewed on thecurlyhairartist.com