Nandan Purkayastha’s second solo exhibition Endgame, opens on 22 April at Art Musings. Nandan Purkayashtha’s monochrome drawings are full of detail and dimension, with the fine black and white spiral pattern giving them a unique complexity. The artist uses pen and ink to create expansive spaces rich in mythological and historical references. Patterns are deftly overlaid, giving the drawings the tactility and texture of fabric. Distortions of space and time come together to tell complex stories, and Purkayashtha’s fantastical landscapes play with movement and illusion, as in a monumental vision of the Taj Mahal, rippling as though it is reflected in a pool of water. Figures navigate through winding picture planes, woven into the stark contrast of black and white. They emerge half-formed, indistinct from a twisting staircase or swirling cloud, animating the inanimate. Bodies and shadows make up a narrative that is sexually deviant, subverting the naïve veneer often associated with fairy tales. Pieces are immobile in an elaborate game of chess, waiting at the brink of action.
22.04.2014 – 31.05.2014