Metamorphosis, curated by Sanya Malik is not merely an art retrospective but a curatorial excavation of the artist’s evolving consciousness. This body of work spans over two decades, tracing the shifting contours of his artistic identity and thematic preoccupations. Through precise penmanship, hyper-detailed brushwork, and surrealistic interventions, Chaturvedi constructs a visual lexicon that articulates the contradictions inherent in human existence, where beauty and brutality, order and chaos, nature and mechanization coalesce within a singular frame.
At its core, Metamorphosis is an exploration of transience—of forms, of thought, of human and ecological states of being. Chaturvedi’s meticulous draftsmanship allows his subjects to oscillate between dream and dystopia, embedding them within a space that is neither real nor entirely imagined. His figures, often distorted or anthropomorphized, function as conduits of philosophical inquiry, questioning notions of identity, performance, and the artificiality of appearance. The presence of fragile elements throughout his practice, from butterflies to bougainvillea’s, and wings of all forms represent the fragility and beauty that intermediates the chaos of humanity. He places these dichotomous elements together to speak to the larger essence of life – which is truly filled with dichotomies of beauty and pain, sparking a conversation on the feeling of being human, being mortal beings.
Metamorphosis is structured as a progression, beginning with Chaturvedi's earlier, more figural compositions that lean towards narrative realism. Here, his pen-and-ink drawings depict human figures ensnared in the tensions of self-awareness, reflecting an early engagement with existential thought. As the works unfold, the formal elements shift towards abstraction—his subjects fragment, dissolve, and merge into swirling, multi-dimensional spaces that suggest a deepening interrogation of transformation itself.
A significant throughline in Metamorphosis is Chaturvedi’s use of contrast, not only in his monochromatic works but in the juxtaposition of rigid architectural elements with organic, fluid forms. His more recent pieces demonstrate a pronounced engagement with surrealist spatiality, where anatomical structures mutate into landscapes and vice versa. This is particularly evident in his sculptural interventions, where stainless steel and transparent colourations evoke the iridescence of nature’s most fleeting marvels: the wings of a butterfly, the exoskeleton of an insect, the reflection of light on water.
Curatorially, Metamorphosis invites the viewer to enter a liminal space—one where the lines between the material and immaterial blur. Chaturvedi’s works are not prescriptive; they do not impose narratives but rather act as open-ended invitations to contemplate evolution in its many forms. Metamorphosis asks us: Are we, as individuals and as a society, ever truly stable? Or are we in a perpetual state of becoming—an endless negotiation between the worlds we construct and those that shape us?
Bikaner House, with its colonial-modernist architectural language and its new role as a cultural incubator, serves as an apt venue for this exhibition. The spatial curation ensures that Chaturvedi’s works unfold like a journey rather than a static display—each room a chapter in his ever-expanding lexicon of metamorphic possibilities.
In Metamorphosis, Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi does not merely depict transformation—he enacts it, compelling the audience to witness, reflect, and ultimately participate in the unfolding process of change. The exhibition also features many monumental works of Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi, including works on paper, canvases, and sculptures.
The Artist
Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi, born in Varanasi in 1981, is an acclaimed contemporary visual artist. Inspired by his childhood in Banaras, his artworks blend anthropomorphic figures, vibrant butterflies, and daily objects that depict beauty, resilience, and change. Chaturvedi utilizes diverse media like pencil, water colour, acrylic, pigment, wood, fibreglass, and stainless steel.
Chaturvedi has held solo shows at Lalit Kala Akademi, Lucknow; Mint Gallery, New Delhi; Karin Weber Gallery, Hong Kong; Bruno Art Gallery, Singapore. his work has also been showcased at Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice; Keumsan Gallery, Seoul; Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul; the Modern & Contemporary Art, Dallas; The Asian, American and European Modern & Contemporary Art, New York, among others. He is the recipient of six prestigious awards, including the All India Fine Art and Craft Society Award in 2004 and the All India Award from the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India in 2006. Chaturvedi’s works have been featured in exhibitions in Indian including the 20th All India Art Exhibition in Nagpur, where his paintings won an award, the National Exhibition of Art at the National Academy of Art in Mumbai, the Inter-State Exhibition in Shimla, the Annual All India Art Exhibition, at AIFACS in New Delhi and the 10th Harmony Show in Mumbai among others. Three of his mixed media works on paper have also been shown at ‘Hybrid Trend’, a contemporary Asian art exhibitions held at Hangaram Art Museum and organized by the Seoul Art Center in South Korea. He received his BFA and MFA in painting from the College of Art, University of Lucknow. He lives and works in New Delhi.
Metamorphosis by Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi, curated by Sanya Malik of Black Cube is open till the May 8th, 2025 at Bikaner House, Delhi.
Date 06.05.2025