Nabibakhsh Mansoori | Artist Interview Series

“I had to feel the world created inside me… I wanted to create a world of my own. It seemed to me that all this was possible only in painting. Perhaps this feeling, the need of my soul has been motivating me to paint since childhood!”

The following interview forms part of a series where repsychl invites contemporary artists to reflect on their personal history, meaning, and philosophy, and how those are embedded throughout their creative process.

This week, we share an interview with Nabibakhsh Mansoori. Born in Idar, Gujarat, in 1966, Nabibakhsh Mansoori has forged a successful career in the art world, a recipient of the prestigious Bendre-Husain Scholarship from Bombay Art Society. He is renowned for his vibrant and surreal paintings. He approaches his art with a unique perspective, using colour, skewed imagery, and layered scenes to challenge and engage his audience, inviting them into a world of reality and dreams seamlessly intertwined.

Since 1992, Mansoori has held solo exhibitions across various Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Idar, Surat, and New Delhi, with notable shows like ‘Tiger! Tiger!’ at Archer Art Gallery in 2010 and at Kalakriti Art Gallery in Hyderabad in 2011. His ‘Moving Malls of India’ exhibition in 2009 and ‘Weaving Dreams’ in 2006 have further solidified his standing in the art community.

Mansoori’s work has not only garnered attention in India but has also made its mark internationally with group shows in London and Dubai, and participation in Sotheby’s auctions in New York and London in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Currently, Mansoori continues to live and create art in Gandhinagar, leaving a lasting impression on both the national and international art scenes.

Today, we are thrilled to present a dialogue with Mansoori, in which he opens up about his journey in art, sharing insights into his personal development and virtues, as well as the profound impact that the beauty and “secrets” found in nature have had on him since his early years — a connection that continues to enrich and influence his works.

Over the course of your artistic development, which experiences have been particularly formative for you?

I consider myself lucky that God has given me two eyes, through which I can see everything that happens in front of me. Like any other children, I also used to be more attracted to colours since childhood.

Being the only child I created my own world where there was very little movement of anyone except me. Oda, a small village in the mountainous region of Aravali ranges, is where I was born and brought up. Because of this, we got a chance to feel nature through many dimensions. Seeing many geometrical forms of the moon became a hobby. Seeing the full moon against blue sky was wonderful sight! It was a thrilling experience to watch the moon play hide and seek amongst the clouds! How well God has coordinated the full round shape of the full moon and the bumpy shapes of the mountains and trees! The sun bringing a pleasant morning and its lovely yellow-orange-pink colours attracted me. Watching the setting sun in the evening was no less attractive to me.

In childhood, Papa once gifted me a prism, through which I saw seven colours hidden in white colour together! And then what was it! I gazed at them for hours. I was very happy to think that now I can see the rainbow whenever I want! While roaming on the road in the summer season, the mirage seen far and wide had also become a subject of my curiosity. In our rural area, once in two weeks in a year, the drama company used to come and perform various plays. I liked to sit in the front row and watch the drama the most. That dramatic light effect in that used to give me a lot of pleasure.

Camouflage also attracts me, and has been inspiring too! God has painted wild animals, animals and birds in such a way that they get mixed with their environment in such a way that they are not easily visible to us.

Another thing continues to amaze me even today that is the world of dreams! It seems that a lot happens there and also doesn’t. Some I remember and some I completely forget. But some things happen between whether you remember or not, which can be seen by the inner self but are not expressive. That means it keeps on coming till the awakened mind. These things or incidents feel mysterious!

Overall, color, shape, mystery, play of light, space, perspective etc. had a deep impact on my mind. And all these are somehow related to nature. If seen in this way, my respect for nature i.e. God started increasing. I had to feel the world created inside me, I had to give a tangible form to my dreams, and my favourite colours. Had to feel the deep secrets of nature, that magic from close quarters. And through all this, I wanted to create a world of my own. It seemed to me that all this was possible only in painting. Perhaps this feeling, the need of my soul has been motivating me to paint since childhood!

Is there a sense of how your artistic process influences your way of experiencing the world, just as it might influence the other way around?

The main thing I have learned in my artistic process so far is the basics of painting on a blank canvas such as colour, shape, size, perspective, etc. With their help, such a composition or such a creation should be made, in which some questions, some secrets raised from my soul and some questions or some answers should be exposed or kept in front of the world.

It seems that I have three worlds. One – the world outside me, Two – the world inside me and Three – my creation, which bears the impact of my other two worlds i.e., a combination of the two. The first world which my eyes see, work hears, nose smells, my body touches. Which I have lived since my birth till today and I will live till my death. This is such a world, which I and other living beings have also conquered.

My artistic process always inspires me to look at this world differently. For example winter and autumn, summer, spring monsoon, and wet season, I see my canvas in the world-changing colours. When I travel in an aeroplane, the view below looks like a color palette. Not only this, I also experienced the fields as a chessboard. When I think that man builds his big buildings on these lands, he builds industries as if he is playing a game! The bulging breasts and buttocks of a beautiful woman are sometimes seen in the mountains standing in the distance. When I look at the trees in the twilight of the evening, then that tree gives the impression of a monk or a yogi sitting in deep meditation.

There is also a strange change in my nature when I am more engrossed in an artwork. I find the hustle and bustle of the world quite boring. I get irritated easily. It all automatically becomes a part of my behaviour. But when my creation gives me happiness or satisfaction, the same world which I used to consider useless, becomes a part of the silent celebrations. The people I used to get irritated with become dear and dear to me. Even the choice of music changes and its volume too!!! Something like this happens with physical attraction, even with sex life!!! Believe it! Everything I do depends only on art creation.

How would you describe your virtues as an artist?

I am an admirer of solitude as well as a multitude. There are times when I avoid being isolated, and there are occasions when I refuse to be part of a crowd. If I look at this peculiar characteristic closely, I see that I long for what is missing at that point in time, while enjoying what I have around me. I often stand in front of a mirror and talk to myself. Would you believe me if I said I considered my canvas a mirror? The purpose of my life is to paint every emotion I feel – the daydreams I see, the thoughts that keep me up at night, the puzzles that life puts me through – on canvas. I love my canvas more than the people around me. I am least interested in portraying myself as a path-breaking artist. I’d rather put my emotions on canvas and simply be happy. I give more importance to what I feel than what I see.

However, I believe that it is my duty to perform my role as a provider to my family and to take care of my loved ones. This also leads to compromises on various fronts, and at times, gently silences my inner voice. I try to get done with anything that could become an obstacle on my journey as an artist. The sooner I return to my canvas, the better.

There is a strong urge to create art that voices my vision, perception and emotion even when I am not around. There is a constant thought at the back of my mind while dealing with worldly matters – how would I translate this into art? I appreciate everything that Mother Nature has created. Maybe that is the reason why I love feeding birds and animals, listening to the sound of chirping birds, planting trees, smelling fresh blooms, looking at rainbows, basking in the morning Sun, making sand castles, dancing in the rains, singing my heart out, and more! These things refuel my energy, connect with the Almighty and add life to my creations!

What is a masterpiece according to you?

An artist tirelessly works throughout his life, takes the challenges on the chin, and finds success and failures alike. There are phases when his thoughts, circumstances and/or emotions overpower his art, and he understands himself better in the process. He gradually calms down and appreciates the truth of life, develops a more refined viewpoint and finds contentment in his art. It all reflects on his creations, too, and the world also notices the change, the ‘X’ factor, and gasps WOW! The artwork then builds a lasting impact on the audiences’ minds and gets called a Masterpiece. According to me, “Masterpiece” is a title conferred on an artwork by its fans. An artist doesn’t consider his creation a masterpiece, it is the admirer who labels it to be one.

As an artist, I cannot and will not tag my one artwork a masterpiece and in turn unjustly consider others less appealing. However, I will not stop my audience from doing so.

I have always been experimental with my creations. It is not surprising that I have failed miserably on many occasions, and I created works I am not particularly proud of. But neither can I pick one and call it my “best” work. Why? Because, I have a long way to go as an artist. The quest for the best is on, and I am sure it will never end. And, that’s the best part about it!

Psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott wrote, “Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.” How does this resonate with you?

It seemed difficult to answer this question the moment read it. I thought to deep dive into my mind to put my thoughts on paper.

If I look back at my journey in the creative field thus far, I am amazed at how the various chapters of my life indicate so many important twists and turns. I invariably feel I missed painting a number of important matters. In fact, there have been times I would not sign my paintings, as they didn’t feel “done” to me. I always want to express a few more emotions than what I have already through my paintings. But there are times I fail to identify them. I often wonder – what is it that I am looking for?

There were certain matters not supposed to be talked about openly in the culture and environment I grew up in. A clear demarcation between what was considered taboo and what wasn’t. A child starts learning about its own culture, boundaries etc. from the time it is in the womb. There are scientific evidences and religious references regarding the impact of the surroundings on a fetus. Once the baby is born, it is breastfed and has an inexplicable attachment to breasts. The time spent in the womb and the entire process of birth has a deep impact on a child’s mind. As an artist, I, too, have had a deep impact on it all!

It is quite obvious that being a man I get attracted to women. However, it all has a symbolic representation in my creations. For an instance, whenever I paint mountains, I can’t help but think of breasts, a cave or something with a deep perspective makes me think of the womb. The process of mixing two or more colours makes me think of a passionate encounter between a man and a woman. The softness of colours is also a kind of romance for me. When my palette gets dark, I view it as a womb, there is a depth to it. When the palette is filled with light shades, I see the vastness of the world in it, as if I am on the top of a mountain and looking at the world around. This all comes naturally to me, and I would add that it is a spiritual journey. It is the birth and growth of life. To summarize, I would say that the tug of war between what I wish to express and what I hide inspires me to bring my creative side to the fore. That is why you will see a lot of symbolism in my artwork.

In a world where failure was impossible, how might your art be different?

According to me, this question is a bit related to the previous one.

I was a young child, maybe four or five year old and tried to draw for the first time. I clearly remember I had attempted to sketch, one, my grandmother, and two, the view I saw from my farm, the greenery and the mountains far away, I had also coloured this drawing. Third, I drew various geometric patterns in my drawing book. Fourth, I tried capturing the details I saw in flowers and leaves. It was a fulfilling and enjoyable experience when I used to get appreciated and praised for my art.

This continued till I was seventeen – eighteen years old, with some additions and improvements in my artwork. When I got to my teenage years and in school learned about the physical attributes of men and women and the equation between them, I was inspired to do different kinds of drawings. I started sketching nude men and women on the last few pages of my notebooks. But I never had the courage to show them to anybody. I’d draw them, admire them, maybe show them to a few of my close friends and tear them! I was aware of the fact that if anybody else saw them I’d be taken to task. I realise now that I was going through hormonal changes, hitting puberty at the time and hence I had developed an inclination towards nude/seminude artworks.

Well, all my other portraits – the drawings of famous poets and writers – during this period would fetch me applause every time they were displayed at my school. I took up art religiously and honed my skills and it resulted in me getting famous beyond the boundaries of my village. People would lovingly invite me to paint Lord Ganesha (A Deity worshiped by Hindus) whenever they’d have a pious occasion in the family. I would win accolades for school in art competitions. I was ecstatic to receive the love and appreciation. However, I had never thought I would make a living out of it. I didn’t enjoy doing anything else either. My paintings were my only medium to express my emotions.

I spent 1975 to 1985 – a decade – living and breathing the fresh and fabulous village life. I was awestruck by the scenery and greenery. I was deeply influenced by the simple life, plays, bhavai, anecdotes, proverbs, folklore and whatnot. These are so deep rooted that they surface in my paintings without me making an effort – they bring a smile to my face. I am grateful that all paintings were welcomed in the art world. If that is an indication of success, I have tasted success.

As I mentioned earlier, physical relations between men and women and the peculiarities of a woman’s body I discreetly feature in my paintings. If failure was impossible, my art would not have been much different than what it is now. My peace and pleasure are paramount when it comes to my art. The happiness I derive from my paintings is my success. Nevertheless, I would accept that I get bored if I do the same sort of work repetitively. I let myself experiment and explore. That’s another thing that I have not shared the final results of those trials with the world despite them being successful. Maybe I am looking to find the meaning of success and failure. I used to paint geometric patterns during my teenage years and eventually moved on. It is a matter of surprise for me when I see today’s artists being accepted for their geometric paintings and art galleries promoting their artworks. I have done unconventional artworks in the past and will do in the future, keeping aside the success and failure.