India Art Fair 2022: Ceramist P R Daroz talks about his solo show named Fire In The Soul

Over the course of an almost 50-year-long career in the arts, Ceramicist P.R Daroz has become one of the foremost names in this field. Oscillating between his kiln-fired workshop in Gujarat and Delhi, he creates art that traverses the boundaries between sculpture and architecture. Born in Hyderabad in 1944, Daroz studied at the College of Fine Arts and Architecture in Hyderabad and pursued a specialization in ceramics under Jyotsna Bhatt in the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Baroda. He has participated in a number of solo and group shows around the country.

His famous public commissions include the mural at the Sardar Patel Planetarium in Baroda, a mural of Large Stupa series pots displayed at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Delhi, and a ceramic mural for Reliance Industries in Navi Mumbai, among others. His work has made him the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the National Award for Ceramics by Lalit Kala Academy, Delhi, which he won in 2004.

Most prominently, Daroz has made a name for himself as a potter who uses bold and innovative techniques employing the malleability of clay. This specialisation of technique earned him a solo show – his first at the India Art Fair (IAF) – at Galleri Nyva’s booth. Entitled ‘Fire in the Soul’, the exhibition is a reflection of Daroz’s ecological concerns, where porcelain is used as a device to replicate the intricate beauty of nature, allowing humans to reconnect with it in an intimate setting. Through works that signal the beautiful colours of the sea merging with corals and sand, one is witness to the immense vulnerability of the environment.

Daroz’s forms in this exhibit, remind one of Buddhist stupas that signify peace and solitude, as well as the transition between old and new. The fossil-like ammonites embedded in them are stark reminders of the undeterred movement of time. Through the beauty of these vulnerable landscapes and seascapes, Daroz hopes to raise awareness of the devastation of the environment and inspire viewers to help protect and preserve it. 

On the occasion, he joins Firstpost for a candid conversation. Excerpts from an edited interview: 

Q. Please tell us about this collection and the inspiration behind it?

Ans: I am always inspired by my surroundings, the landscape we inhabit and the stones that make it. I’m also greatly inspired by the stones or corals we see underwater when we go diving. I like to recreate these forms and figures into ceramics. I have been working with ceramics as my subject for about ten years now, and I have thoroughly enjoyed this process. By simply observing nature’s processes and their steadfast repetition, one can learn so much. Just look at the wind and how it silently cuts the stone, carving the whole thing into an entirely different shape or form. This collection is an ode to nature’s reflections, simple things like how the sky is reflected in the water. As humans, we stop and see this reflection because it looks so attractive to us. My works are an attempt to convert that beauty and preserve it through the ceramic medium. 

Q. What was the experience of working with Gallery Nvya like? Is this your first collaboration with them?

Ans. I have done a couple of group shows with them earlier. This is my first solo show with them, and it worked out well. You see, ceramic is a tough medium to work with, it’s not like painting. Ceramics take time to make, there is an intense process involved. For six months, I was in my studio in Gujarat, working with the kiln. Gallery Nyva loved the result of that work and that is how this collaboration came about.

Q. How does the delicate materiality of porcelain allow you to share your message across?

Ans. Porcelain has been a very popular medium of creating art for centuries. Take the example of China which has made this medium a work of beauty that is appreciated across the world. In India, we don’t have access to pure porcelain like that. Some kind of Titanium is usually mixed with it, which makes it an off-white colour as opposed to the pure white of Chinese porcelain. However, I like this imperfect aspect of Indian porcelain, which is why I choose it for my own art collections. Ceramic is indeed a delicate material, and I appreciate its translucency because that allows a natural sheen to come through – in fact, that’s what I love about it the most. 

Q. How does it feel to have a solo show at the IAF?

Ans. I have had many solo shows before, but this is the first at the IAF. It is a great feeling because this show is the biggest of its kind in the country. Plus, we meet a lot of old friends in the gathering and reconnect with them and their work. 

Q. How do you feel about the IAF returning to a physical format after two years?

Ans. It’s very nice… Because of Covid-19 and the lockdowns, we have been sitting at home for two years and haven’t done any work. I left Delhi and was living in a village, which was very healthy. There was no disturbance from the outside and I could concentrate on making art in my chosen medium.

Q. Who according to you are some artists to watch for this IAF?

Ans. I have come across a lot of young people doing very beautiful work this time. Whether it is through the medium of ceramic, stone, or creative paperwork – which I haven’t seen much before in India. It is wonderful to see the level of creativity these youngsters have. The IAF is the perfect platform that provides this opportunity for them to show their work. 

Q. Would you like to share a message for the audience visiting IAF?

Ans. I have seen the audience give a positive response to my work at the IAF and that feels wonderful. I think they appreciate the architectural scope that ceramic offers as a medium, and I’m grateful that they have liked it.

Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com _. She can be reached at nooranand@gmail.com._

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