Presenting pros and cons of technology through art

New Delhi: Mukesh Sharma, a New Delhi–based contemporary visual artist with nearly three decades of practice, showcased his new body of work titled, ‘Decoding Digital DNA’, at the Bikaner House last month.

Through the exhibition, the Alwar-born artist, explored the convergence of technology, memory and human behaviour.

He spoke to www.thedelhijunction.com on the sidelines of the exhibition.

Q. Tell us about yourself, how you picked art and who inspired you?

A. I come from Doroli, a small village in the Aravalli hills in Alwar district of northern Rajasthan, and that landscape of memory, material scarcity and observation shaped me long before I entered formal art education. My training at the Rajasthan School of Art, Jaipur, and later at MS University, Baroda, helped me sharpen that instinct into a language. I have been inspired less by individual figures and more by lived experience, the contrast between rural rootedness and urban acceleration, craft traditions, and later the overwhelming presence of technology. Artists, thinkers and everyday labourers who negotiate transformation without losing their ethics have all influenced my thinking in different ways.

Q. Define the theme of your works in the current exhibition.

A. The exhibition Decoding Digital DNA examines how deeply digital technology has embedded itself into human existence almost like a second genetic code. The works use discarded technological material to reflect on memory, labour, consumption and ecological strain. Rather than critiquing technology, the exhibition acknowledges its power and inevitability, while confronting viewers with the physical residue it leaves behind. The installations and paintings create immersive environments that ask us to pause and reflect on what we produce, discard and internalise in the process of progress.

Q. What is the one colour you can't do without in your works and why?

A. Black is central to my work. It holds depth, silence and absorption. Conceptually, it allows multiple narratives to coexist without hierarchy, much like the digital space itself. Black also neutralises distraction, letting texture, material and form speak more strongly. It becomes a ground where memory, erosion and accumulation can unfold without sentimentality.

Q. How has the response been to your exhibition?

A. The response to the exhibition has been truly overwhelming and deeply encouraging. Decoding Digital DNA turned out to be a groundbreaking experience, bringing together a very diverse audience who engaged intensely with the work. What moved me most was how viewers connected with the questions the exhibition raised - about technology, humanity, progress, and the fragility of human relationships in an increasingly digital world.

The layered processes and transformed materials sparked thoughtful conversations and moments of introspection that continued well beyond the gallery space. I feel immense gratitude for the way viewers, peers, and critics responded—with curiosity, openness, and genuine dialogue. The energy and engagement around the show have been incredibly affirming, and the conversations it initiated are something I believe will stay with me, and with the audience, for a long time.

Tags : Art, Mukesh Sharma, Alwar, Digital DNA, technological residue