SCRAPTURES
Arzan Khambatta calls himself an architect by profession and a sculptor by choice. Encouraged by his parents, he started sculpting the very next day after giving his 10th
standard exams. He would scout the streets, garages, construction sites for scrap metal, collect the same and weld them into pieces of art he fondly christened “SCRAPTURES”.
A word that has become synonymous with Arzan. What started off purely as a hobby, slowly began to yield income when his first buyer, architect Dara Mistry bought his first piece in 1983 for Rs. 2000. He got his first public response in 1993 when he opened SCRAPTURES to the public at the Jehangir Art gallery in Sept 1993.
ARZAN SAYS
“I have always found artists who experiment and evolve more exciting to view than those who, after finding one successful style, and use it for the rest of their lives. To reinvent myself from time to time, not only within my sculptures but within everything I do, makes living more interesting for me and subsequently for my collectors and viewers. Within the realm of sculpture itself, I have started my journey with welding scrap metal parts to making large framed ones from rods and sheets, going into bronze casts, a bit of resin, loads of laser cut designs, and now 3D printing too. It is this mix of techniques and materials that keep my art always fresh for the viewers, and myself. Fearless experimentation the key. Taking in a wider view, besides sculpting, I do and teach my pen and ink doodles, conduct workshops, counsel art students, being on the board for selecting public art for Mumbai, I lecture at art colleges, I judge competitions, and cycle, and photograph, practice yoga, write, perform stand-up comedy, and yes, I managed to learn how to ride a unicycle this lockdown.”
