Playing with waste

Boiling coal tar can burn your fingers but it's also a great medium of expression.

Creating masterpieces out of industrial waste products like coal tar, aluminum, metal, nuts, bolts, wires, mesh, gauge, and glass is what 27-year-old director-turned-artist Simran K S Lamba has been doing for the last three years.

The interest in this unconventional medium grew when his house was being renovated. “I was struck by the sight of boiling coal tar and immediately fell in love with it,” says Lamba.

The sight of coal tar captivated his imagination to such an extent that he decided to pursue the interest more seriously.

Lamba, who is the son of fashion designer Mona Lamba of MonaPali fame, says he was always inclined towards art and is a self-taught artist. He says the medium he’s chosen is rare, yet expressive.

Lamba, who has spent several years in filmmaking, has also won accolades at film festivals wordwide for his short documentaries like Saah, WB-04 C-5542 and My Nicotine.

Asked why he decided to shift his medium to commercial art, Lamba says, “Unconventional mediums always attracted me. Even as a filmmaker, I could not connect with commercial television.” Which explains why he chose an unconventional medium as an artist as well.

Lamba’s works are an amalgamation of diverse techniques, styles and materials, which he uses to create bold abstractions.

His last show ‘Genesis’ held at the ITC Sonar in Kolkata, focussed on mixed media where he depicted a variety of motifs and images by blending different industrial waste materials. “To make something extraordinary out of the most redundant things is a challenge, but if mastered, it can be a great medium of expression,” says Lamba.

As new medium, coal tar is extremely vibrant yet difficult to control. “The amount of texture the medium offers is unbelievable but at the same time you have to be careful because working with such materials can be dangerous,” he says adding that he’s burnt his fingers several times in the process.

His work has been showcased at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, and the Goa Kala Kendra Art Gallery. The artworks are priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 3 lakh, depending on size and treatment.