Autopolisphilia connotes a sense of fixation with the city that one lives in, belongs to. It stands for a causal relationship with an imagined topography of the city that connects one with the landscape through cultural linkages and histories of the place. Parag’s connection with the city of Mumbai (and also Thane) reflects in his current series of drawings. Parag’s preoccupation with the urban landscape arises from his experience of loss of cultural practices, habitation, vegetation, sea species and also occupations of the Koli community. These effects of urbanisation and changing economic structures on Mumbai’s indigenous community, where Parag comes from, play a crucial role in shaping his art practice. His work has emerged from a constant dialogue with the community through various public art initiatives and dialogical processes. However, he extends his concerns and queries to the larger questions of cultural practices, urban landscape and ecology. While invoking a feeling of alienation and displacement as well as connection and longing, Parag’s intricate drawings represent the transforming landscape of the city. Repetition of fine lines and forms take foreground in these drawings that require a detailed working method and keen observation of his surroundings.

Written by Noopur Desai, 2018