Titled ‘Alter Ego’, the five-day exhibition that comes to a close today, has exhibits created by Kaushik in the last four years. “They depict different aspects of human personality and the constant dilemma faced by people,” he says. While the thin wire installation, Ensnare, depicts entrapment, Tying Up in Knots portrays how individuals are rooted in tradition. Pink has Kaushik coming in front of the camera for a self-portrait, and In Conversation narrates “the headless and meaningless conversations that take place.”

But besides the theme, what sets the show apart is the implementation, where traditional techniques have been merged into Kaushik’s contemporary artworks. “I may think of a concept and then get in touch with the artisans to create works according to specific requirements,” he says. So he got craftsmen in Vellore to make a basket in shades of yellow and orange, travelled to Orissa to learn the traditional painting techniques so that he could paint ethnic patterns on glass in Bodies In Space, and got workers from Meerut to weave metal wires for an installation Kaushik created. “It’s a learning exercise for me too,” he says.

While Kaushik gets acquainted with these artisans during his frequent sojourns, what also helps him reach out to them is the store Alter Ego that he runs with wife Rema Kumar at Shahpur Jat. “We stock artefacts sourced from different regions. While retaining the traditional style, we suggests different patterns and also ask them to put it on products that would be more marketable,” says Kaushik.