Studio 2 : Liminal Reflections of the Core

Studio 2 - Liminal reflections of the core 

Abstraction, as quoted by Kirk Varnedoe, is “both as a legitimate reflection of the way we think individually and as a valuable aspect of liberal society”. The “core” is a space between the inner and outer self where perception, memory, and emotion blur into one another. Moving through abstraction, gesture, and erasure, the artists in this studio reveal what lies beneath surface and structure, transforming inner reflection into visual revelation. The eye becomes both observer and vessel, dissolving boundaries between being and becoming, between presence and absence.

Representing the 'eye' as both a medium of seeing and being seen, Sharmistha Ray, through the Blindspot series, merges automatic writing with visual script, abstraction, and symbolism to explore their inner consciousness. Savia Mahajan navigates the liminal space between life and death, exploring the dynamic interplay between material and form in Rich Deposits 2 and 3, where spiritual universality meets the material process of making and breaking. Line-based interventions integrate architecture as an active participant in #76, exploring how light, structure, and movement shape spatial perception. Repetition, geometry, and rhythm intertwine in Parul Gupta's work, inviting a heightened experience of space. Madhav Imartey transcends the conventions of still life, imbuing objects, machines, and products with human traits and personalities. Animated and exuberant, these objects transform into portraits, asserting their presence as more than mere representations of daily life.

The echo of forms in the Wings series is incidental. Manisha Parekh’s quiet observation of falling petals evolves into layered gestural abstractions that contemplate flight and freedom, evoking the restless motion of memory, time, and the longing to transcend confinement. Kaushik Saha’s stark abstract compositions lead us into the layered depths of A Piece of Land Within the Frame, a work that probes the paradoxes of the city and its all-pervasive hoardings. His landscapes demand close inspection: beneath the surface lies a substructure of repressed lives and silenced information. A unique colour viscosity process underlines the range of extraordinary colours produced in the prints made by the legendary M Krishna Reddy. His semi-abstract prints draw from nature and the human form, distilling each image to its elemental core, moving beyond imitation to evoke a quiet, spiritual resonance through simplicity and form.