Untitled: David Leitner 2

David Leitner (1992) is a visual artist from Austria. Often staged with a surreal twist, his work creates an illogical space by referencing forgotten photographs of the past and putting them into a contemporary context. His art features a strong relationship with both line drawings and paintings that are simplistic, yet cerebral. He has collaborated with brands such as Adidas, Absolut and Vans and has shown his works across Europe and Asia. Amongst these projects, in 2018, David Leitner curated his first solo show called ‘Thanks for following’ that looked at the intersections between self-portraiture in the history of art and the absurdities of the ‘selfie culture’ from the 21st century.

With his work in Lodhi Colony, David Lietner explores the polarities that exist within urban cities and the way they affect our surroundings. During his time in New Delhi, he observed an abundance of age-old traditions still present in the modern day, while simultaneously noticing the hazardous pollution caused by the incessant consumption of single-use plastics. Identifying this as a dangerous contrast, the artist created a mural depicting this reality, thriving due to human negligence.

With his bold lines coupled with his distinctive figurative style, Leitner’s mural reads as a comic book on the wall of Lodhi Colony. While women dressed in traditional Saaris appear as the powerful keepers of our traditions, knowledge and heritage, their surrounding environment is at risk due to environmental degradation. The composition, with its black and white palette, offers a moment of relief from the overtly colourful chaos of Indian streets, while highlighting the dangers of letting these polarities thrive with the merging of these contrasting elements.

David also added factual data such as ‘In India, out of every 10 lakh plastic bottles bought, only 9% get recycled’ and ‘8 Lakh plastic waste enters the sea every year’ to stimulate the responsibilities we have as citizens to protect our surroundings before they gravely affect our livelihoods and natural ecosystems.