Mute/Unmute Method Kala Ghoda

Method Kala Ghoda presents Mute/Unmute, featuring artists from across the country. The show emerges as an exploration of the present and the absent, and how that defines perception and anticipation. Does color dictate influence or does influence dictate color? What perceptions and expectations accompany the presence or absence of hue, and are they invariably accurate? Existence comprises a tapestry of experiences, yet does the decision to mute or embrace color carry implicit meaning? This exhibition scrutinizes the nuanced messaging underlying the presentation of muted and unmuted elements.

About the Artists

Nilanjan Das
Dr. Nilanjan Das completed his BFA, MFA, and Ph.D. in Printmaking from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. He is presently working as an assistant professor in the Department of Printmaking at Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar. He is a trustee and artist of the Hamdasti Artist Collective, Kolkata. Nilanjan is a printmaker and installation artist. He is interested in the role of printmaking in the public domain and has initiated several public art projects. His art practice explores the idea of gender interaction and intimacy in the public space.

Nilanjan has received awards and participated in artist residencies and exhibitions in India and abroad. Worthy of mention are Artist in Residency, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, in 2023; Incept Grant, Art Incept, Delhi, in 2022; the Manorama Young Printmaker Award 2021 from India Printmaker House; Pulp Society Artist in Residency, First Edition, Delhi, in 2020; the Sponsored Coursework Program Award at Give me space, New Prints 2020 at International Print Center, New York; Socially Engaged Art Practice Grant, Khoj International Artists’ Association, Delhi, in 2019; and Megalo Artist in Residence Award, Canberra, Australia, in 2018.

Satyanarayan Gavara
Satyanarayana Gavara was born in 1997 in Narayanapuram, Andhra Pradesh, India. He completed his BFA in Printmaking from Andhra University in 2018 and his MFA in Printmaking from M S University of Baroda in 2020. 'Food' and the politics behind its production and consumption have been the most concerning engagements in his works. Satyanarayana has won several awards, including the 1st Print Biennale India Grand Prize Award from Lalitkala Academi, New Delhi, in 2018; the State Art Gallery Award in Hyderabad in 2019; the Birla Academy award in 2022; and the "Abir First Take" award in 2023. He has participated in many exhibitions, including "Which Sky Do Birds Fly" at Latitude 28 in 2023; "Continuum" at Kalakriti in 2023; "Baroda Annual" at Gallery White in 2023; Cima in 2022; the Mini Print Triennial in Japan in 2018; the Mini Print Triennial in Ukraine in 2021; and SYPA in Bangladesh in 2019.

He has also participated in many workshops and residencies, including at Space Studio Vadodara, Gujarat, in 2020; Immerse residence in Mumbai in 2022; a workshop at Cava University, Mysore, in 2016; Udaipur in 2020; VNSG University in Surat in 2021; and Birla Academy Kolkata in 2022. The artist lives and works in Baroda, India.

Samiran Dey
Samiran Dey, currently residing in Kolkata, West Bengal, is a studio artist at Lalit Kala Akademi. Samiran pursued a dual degree in Sanskrit and Fine Arts, marking the beginning of a remarkable artistic career. Completing their master's from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, in 2020, they have been established as a prominent figure in the art scene.

Born and brought up in a lower middle-class family in Kolkata, Samiran's childhood was marked by the harsh realities of life and the struggles their family faced to survive. As the sole earning member of the family, they continue to grapple with these challenges. Samiran weaves a vivid imagery of Kolkata's socio-political intricacies in their artwork, capturing the shifting landscape and fading memories with each stroke. Their art is a nuanced narrative, reflecting a sociometaphorical reality with enchanting and surrealistic undertones. Conceptualizing art from Kolkata's fabric, they endeavor to reflect the transformation of playgrounds into skyscrapers, echoing the pulse of an unscrupulous society.

Pulak K Sarkar
Hailing from Rangpur, Bangladesh, Pulak is trained as a painter. He holds a BFA in Painting from Rabindra Bharti University. Currently, he is furthering his studies in Painting at Banaras Hindu University, where he has been awarded the prestigious ICCR fellowship to pursue in both institutions. His practices are oriented by painting, site-specific work, and installation with the character of interdisciplinary. His works are the development of his understanding of art and its literary temperament. The works are initial embodiments of the logocentric disposition of humans and that to unfasten a remote discussion and recall the underlying psychological concept. It is the response of structure that carries an inherent paradox of deconstruction. His use of vibrant, angular forms is the formal approach to creating a visual essence that has the dignity to create any diverse attempt.

Shweta Urane
Shweta is a multidisciplinary artist, working with mediums such as dry point, etching, lithography, collagraph, and woodcut, alongside creative drawing and painting. In 2018, she completed her Bachelor of Fine Art degree.From 2019 to 2021, she dedicated herself to honing skills and expanding her artistic practice at the Bharat Bhawan printmaking community studio. She recently finished her Masters in Fine Art at Sir J J School of Art in Mumbai. Shweta’s artistic practice focuses on several pivotal themes including social scenarios, human expressions, caricature, equality, women's empowerment, and societal structures. She aims to provoke contemplation in viewers, encouraging them to reflect on their existence and their connection to the world around them. “I use neon colours in my drawings creatively to highlight the aspects of life that have caught my attention," explains the artist about her bright color palette.

Sandeep Parmar
Hailing from Rajasthan, the artist Sandeep Parmar earned his Post Diploma in printmaking in 2022 from Maharaja Saiyajirao University Baroda. Sandeep seamlessly incorporates miniatures into his printing process, utilising techniques like etching, lithography, and woodcuts. His choice of Tempera color adds depth and vibrancy to his prints, while he incorporates elements like Hansiya, line, and woodcut of the miniature as embossing in his creations. The focal point of Sandeep's artistic endeavors revolves around the theme of sexuality. In an environment characterized by conservatism, discussions around sexuality often take on a secretive nature. Expression is tightly controlled by factors such as family, the institution of marriage, and societal norms. Yet, beneath the surface of this latent sexuality lie profound human emotions—love, lust, desire, faith, and inner impulses. Sandeep Parmar is passionately dedicated to unveiling these hidden sensibilities, aiming to bring them to the forefront and celebrate them through his art.

Anikesa Dhing
Anikesa Dhing was born in Udaipur. She graduated from MS University, Baroda with an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in Fine Arts. Anikesa uses a vibrant and humorous range of colours and lines which resonates with a ‘pop’ visual vocabulary. The works have a tendency to lie between the disciplines of fine art and design. Through such works Anikesa is trying to talk about the sentimental tendencies materialism holds, and the transactional values of the object-oriented universe. The visual bombardment of the images mimics the anxiety of transitoriness and desire, in such a manner that narrates the story of an object as a prime protagonist. Anikesa lives and works in Baroda.

Harsh Kumar
Born in New Delhi, Harsh spent his formative years there. Additionally, he worked for a year at the Amar Nath Sehgal Private Collection, delving into the art of the renowned artist and researcher for the Sehgal Publication. Harsh draws inspiration from his mentors and their ethics, which are now woven into his artistic practice. “I try to show my subject in a simplified manner as I think that art is inherent in humans' collective consciousness; it doesn’t need a language to define it." His style encompasses a mix of Expressionism, Post-Expressionism, Abstraction, and Contemporary experimentation across various mediums such as Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, Photography, Installation, Performance art, and Videography. He feels that when he creates art, it represents scenes he witnesses in society and certain events concerning personal thoughts. He believes that the real impetus comes from the subconscious mind, as theorized by Sigmund Freud. His works have been showcased in the Kochi Biennale and Lalit Kala Akademy.

Kritika Goel
Kritika Goel, born in 1998 in New Delhi, India, holds an MFA in Painting from Amity University, Noida. In her practice, she investigates ideas of perception, daily existence, and experiences. Kritika has also exhibited multiple works at Artbuzz Studios parallel to the India Art Fair. Her works were recently exhibited at Stainless Gallery, New Delhi, for a group show titled 'Ode to the Sun' in 2024.

Words Platform Desk
Date 29.04.2024