You have dealt with various genres of watercolor painting, printmaking and so on. What is the relation between academy major and your present works?

During graduation I found woodcut and linocut an interesting medium. For post graduation with printmaking I specialized in etchings. At the start of my professional career viscosity prints became my favorite medium. Few years later when I decided to do larger works than 40?X20?, due to the lack of facilities for large viscosity prints, I had moved to with hand coloured etchings. This was the landmark for my print making career which also became a bridge for my recent water colour and digital prints.

I think using the technique of colour etching is the important source for understanding the print making works created by Dileep Sharma. If so, would you like to explain the link between the print making technique and water colour painting?

I as a printmaker always enjoyed the linear drawings, the detailed engraving on the plates and the viscous tantrum of colours. I had used letter press ink for etchings but I wanted to use florescent and bright colours so I decided to continue with the letter press ink and rest of the part with hand painted water colours. Gradually I shifted to water colour painting which have generated from etchings. Pen and Ink work on paper gives me a feeling of engraving with needle on the plate and the linear drawing have become finer and colours brighter in water colour works. The water colours are rendered so evenly flat that they could be mistaken for a neatly done serigraph.

The subject of my etchings has been self portraits of my experiences within and outside the culture. The character to represent my alter ego is ?kunwarji? and there were various other characters and motifs that helped me in narrations. All of them and many new ones continued in the recent works also, however, now they narrate my fantasies.

It is thought that various elements shown in your works create visual interests. Would you explain the narrative of characters and objects shown in your recent works?

For SIPA, I am displaying viscosity and with hand colour etchings, and inkjet prints. My recent art work subject depicts the carving of the youth for fashion, fantasy, celebrities and pop culture, which comes mainly from the western culture and mass media. I incorporate the elements of various cultures that I come across and its amalgamation with Indian culture. I use ?kunwarji? as my alter ego that helps me to narrate my experiences.

All the etchings usually represents my self-portraits, ?When Kunwarji was in J. J.?, ?Kunwarji in Shirdi?, Kunwarji Number One?, ?Kunwarji?s Bike? and ?Jai Bhole Ki?. Inkjet prints includes, ?Jolie, the fire fox?, ?Golden Girl?, ?Jigar Ma Badi Aag Hai? (Lots of fire in the heart), ?Kunwarji, The Mascot?, and so on.

What are artistic meanings coming from the narrative of your art works?

The poses my ?models? do are all found on any glamour or fashion magazine. The bikini-clad or mini-skirted women, the gazing men in their culture-specific garbs, the playboy bunny or the green-and-red dragon, and so on are the elements that are now-a-days recognized in cultures all over. I include lots of mythological motifs also, so my work becomes a metaphor for the identity of young generation which is cut and pasted from east and west. Through my work I inspect the youthful fantasies: some home grown, some sold through magazines and media. My works also narrate the erotic fantasies of male-female relations.

As you mentioned in this interview, I think various things that you felt in diverse cultural areas including India affect your works and overseas travels are the important factor for your works. If so, what did you feel during the travels?

As a print maker I enjoy the print making environment and process. It has become a principle and discipline of my work. I am a well organized person while working whether in prints or painting. I enjoy print making because there is no direct approach on surface. The process is very calculative and the work has to go through various stages before a final output. During the whole process I am curious and excited to see the final print. After a long hard working process it is always a celebration to get the final print. And my recent works comes from my experience during the art residency trip to Europe in 2001. That was my first trip out of India and the cultural difference I came across became the subject of my works. For instance, I came across the scene of ladies with bare legs which is and unusual sight in my country. Those experiences became the part of my works. Later after coming back to my country, I started using the subject of the young generation who are fascinated with the western culture. My works now narrate the story of their fantasies and craving for fashion.

Where do you get the inspiration for the ideas of art works from?

I am inspired from my self-portraits and that reflects my interaction with people around and also with different cultures. For instance, my first self-portrait titled ?When Kunwarji was in J.J.? was done when I was studying in J. J. School of Art for post graduation. I had a long beard and hair that time. One day I shaved them and while coming back from the barber?s shop, I missed my beard and hair which I used to caress all the time. At that moment I realized that my beard was like a bunch of flower and hair was like tree leaves that protected me from the outer environment. So, I represented the head of my self-portrait with leaves and my beard with tiny flowers and the rest of the portrait narrated my ongoing thoughts.

Recently, various exhibitions in the world have introduced Indian artists. What do you think about their popularity?

I think this is a golden period for Indian art. It has come from change in economy. It?s great that Indian artists are going global. International exhibitions will help artists to realize the value of their work and at the same time break the myths regarding Indian art which is promising for its future.

What did you feel when you came to South Korea and have you found any ideas and sources for your works since you came here?

When I came to Seoul I was very fascinated by people?s hard work, generosity and soft spoken nature. The bright colours, very similar motifs, and the generous and welcoming nature of people are very much similar to my country, India. I have always been using lemon-chilly motif in my works and after coming to Seoul I found that this motif holds significance here also. I have become very fond of lemon-chilly souvenirs from Seoul and my studio has lots of them. I have also used the Korea masks in my recent paintings. My work is much appreciated here and I keep coming frequently for the group shows. Despite of the food problem (since I am a vegetarian), Seoul is now like my second home. So, my art works and myself can relate to Korea in various ways.

What is your plan for your future art works?

Yes! A travelling solo show in November this year will open in Seoul. There are many international group shows also. I am planning to do sculptures for the first time in near future.