Sudhakar Chippa focuses on the memories and challenges of rural migrants seeking a secure and comfortable life in urban areas. He examines the relationship between migrants and their surroundings, including the land, vegetation, material, objects, and animals, and the memories they hold. However, as time passes, the contrasts between rural and urban life
and the memories associated with them gradually fade away. Through his artwork, Chippa
aims to revive and represent these lost and forgotten memories. He uses clay to create
images of urban cartography, which contrast machine-like forms with organic materials, and
depict the struggle between constant modernization and the receding nature.
He has witnessed this transformation firsthand in Hyderabad, India, where rapid urban
expansion has been occurring at an unprecedented rate in recent decades. The city, like
many others, is expanding through planned, yet chaotic construction of new living spaces
and infrastructure. This expansion has improved the quality of life for many, providing
access to shelter, food, employment, education, and wealth. However, it has also resulted in
irreversible changes to the vegetation, wildlife, natural soil, and rock formations of the
area. The migration that spurred this expansion has created its own unique history and
memories, forever changing both urban and rural landscapes.
