The significantly potential use of the ‘actual’ and the ‘found’ gives a definite contour to Sujan’s concept in his work Barbed Wire Coaxes the Boat When It Tries To Fly. Redefining the sculptural space the work incorporates organic surfaces, the dug -out hollow of the earth, and the open sky.

The impaling and the erect boat enmeshed with the barbed wire confront the viewer as a half lived conspiracy. It is in this materially visual encounter with the deeds of the dark, the custodial and the killings, the ghost of the disappeared-half alive and half dead-that Sujan’s work makes a political intervention.

The image of the boat alludes to the metaphor of life, movement, and transport while evoking the memory of the exotic and the sumptuous lakes and rivers of the Valley. The process involved in Sujan’s work created the ambience of a graveyard, in which the dislocated boat is left frozen in the split second anticipating a paradox as it recalls simultaneously the image of resurrection and the grave. The bed of flowers acts as a tribute, an obituary, an elegy. At the same time the work assumes a certain play of subversion by showing a mirror image of the iconic lines ‘If there is Paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here’ written in Persian script on both the sides of the boat.
This is what Sujan has to say:
“It was during my early teens and through Bollywood that
I was first introduced to this paradise on earth. Since then, Kashmir has been imprinted on my subconscious as the most scenic and serene location on earth with the imagery of houseboats on Dal Lake, snowcapped mountains, the unimaginably exotic valleys and its charming people.
When I received the invitation for Khoj Kasheer, my well-wishers implored me not to go because of the current situation. But my conviction to visit the place of my childhood fantasy was more intense than the discouragement I received from others.

My artwork is an outcome of this strange yet very strong emotional connection with Kashmir and her people. The “shikara” (boat) as an image satisfied me with its metaphorical lineage to Dal Lake and the people and props from old Hindi movies and most importantly, the free will of people while barbed wire, as always, makes a discomforting presence. The work is a tribute to the people of Kashmir for their determination and hope for a better future.”