Beneath the Beatnik philosophy and the hippie outlook that Vivek Premchandran espouses, the artist Dubai knows as Ubik is a keen painter who's trying to carve a niche for himself in Dubai's fledgling art scene. The 24-year-old's name has today become synonymous with street art in Dubai - an oddity, since there is no street art in Dubai.
"My work is inspired by street art and graffiti, but I don't know why I've been labelled a street artist," says Vivek. "At least it's done me some good - google street art in Dubai and my name's bound to feature prominently. So I can't really complain about the label."
Ubik first burst on the Dubai art scene with Cliché - an underground art fanzine that he published with his brother Vinay. Despite holding his first exhibition iamwhatiam last August at The Jam Jar, Vivek still hangs on to his day job as a graphic designer with a design studio. But now, after months of working on independently-commissioned murals, he may be taking his first steps towards fulfilling his ambition of being an artist. He's just been signed by Dubai studio Traffic Design Gallery - a significant step in his evolution as a serious artist.
This month, April 8-22, Ubik holds his second solo exhibition. This time his canvas is not just a wall but a whole warehouse. And it's got a bizarrely provocative title too - Here's something to violate while you are at it.
"I like messing with people's heads," he deadpans when I ask him about the exhibition. "There are so many dirty little secrets in our minds, so much stuff in our heads that we don't tell anyone. This is an attempt to tease that out." He says he found the perfect allegory for his theme in an abandoned warehouse next to The Shelter in Al Quoz. "It's been there all the time, but no one's bothered to peer in.
"I love urban decay and the idea of using an abandoned warehouse for my canvas is exciting. The show's going to be quite a hectic mix of our deepest darkest secrets. Well not everybody's, but mostly mine.I can only hope and pray that some people will connect with it," he says.
"To have it at that warehouse just made so much sense - because as much as it's sitting out there in plain sight, no one really bothers about it. And I just found it amusing that in some ways it is like how our thoughts are - even though we don't sometimes put them out there, they still exist in some quiet corner in our head."
Vivek can come across as a bundle of contradictions at times, but the artist in him seems to thrive on this incongruity. He says he's inspired by commotion - he often hangs around cafes in malls looking for inspiration, yet he prefers to live amidst the peace and quiet of The Springs.
He says he wants to be rich and own a house on a hill, but in the same breath confesses to being a beatnik at heart who needs money only to buy books and sneakers. He talks about being happy, but says he's brooding and dark as an artist. He has strong political views, has dabbled in mind-altering experiences in India, considers himself a bit of a rebel artist who likes his work to be provocative, but prefers to ply his trade in an environment that will put a cap on artistic liberty.
The last one bothers me enough to pose the question: Why is he still here? "In an already established art scene like India, it would be really difficult for me to find my feet. Here in Dubai I've identified a niché for myself and I've worked on my techniques and style."
It was during his time in fashion school in Delhi - the first time that he ever lived on his own - that Vivek says he discovered himself. So, after much soul searching and reading the works of the Beat Generation, he decided that the hours he spent doodling, while listening to psychedelic music and in a state of trance, could actually be a calling. He dropped out of college and decided to pursue art - a decision that understandably shocked his father, who has lived in Sharjah for close to 30 years now. "I completely understand the way he felt then, but he's quite supportive of my work now. I would even say he's quite proud of me now."
Vivek claims he had no formal training and instead learnt his craft from books and from studying the works of artists like Jean Michel Basquiat - the Afro-American artist has been a huge influence in his life and work. Today, Vivek more than makes up for his lack of any formal art education by being enterprising. He's clearly created this image of a young, provocative artist - for better or worse, he stands out among his peers.
Vivek loves to ‘hustle' his work to the art community in Dubai. "In the beginning, I was so relentless in convincing people about my work that some of them probably grew tired of seeing me so often," he laughs.
But now, with Traffic representing him, he's finally got someone to manage the administrative side of his art. "I'm still learning the business of art, but being represented by a studio is a big deal - I'll finally have my own studio space, they will manage my work. It is the first step towards realising my dream."
