Born 1968, Orissa (INDIA).
Radiant Relations
The greatest possibilities of Asit Kumar Patnaik’s work emerge from out of their productive equivocation. The appeal of Patnaik’s craft is embodied in his deft negotiations between, and across, several binaries—figurative and abstract, man and woman, background and foreground, lines and colors, singular and plural. In that sense, Patnaik’s work resonates with the increasing propensity among critics and popular audience alike to warm up to the potential of ambivalent sensibilities. For quite some time now, there has arisen among connoisseurs of art and literature, indeed of culture as a whole, a welcome discomfort with binaries and a corresponding openness to ambivalence. Nothing, it would appear, is any longer fit to be perceived as either black or white, either enlightening or obfuscating and so on.
It is a welcome sign that the world is increasingly warming up to tentativeness, provisionally and ambivalence. Patnaik’s work inhabits a grey zone. The popular perception about the significance of grey has changed over time. In the past, grey stood for something mysterious, something that common intelligence found hard to understand. The association of intrigue with greyness or ambivalence conferred on it a degree of inscrutability. Grey represented superior intelligence too, and old age and wisdom, as in grey hair and grey beard. at other instances, it hinted at superhuman power, speed and threat, as in greyhound. For better or worse, grey therefore stood in for the extraordinary and the mysterious, the exception, that is, to the normal. The normal, on the other hand, had to submit to binary models; it had to be male or female, light or dark, black or white and so on. as a matter of fact, duplicity, or divided loyalty, came to be seen as a vice within this binary framework of values. Subsequently, however, there has been expansion of categories.
Contemporary readers, viewers and interlocutors are manifestly more willing than their counterparts thirty years ago to appreciate works that resist tightly defined analytical categories. Films with ambiguous characters, books with unsettled protagonists and plays with unstable trajectory have over the last decades attracted greater popular acceptance. Indeed, there has been a correspondence between greater understanding of the inescapability of ethical ambivalence and popular accommodation of grey as a tolerable idea. it would not be an overstatement anymore to claim that these days grey, or analogous conceptual horizons such as ambivalence or unequivocation is no longer considered a negative attribute.
An equivocation that is particularly alluring about Patnaik’s men and women is the tension between the wide variety in their juxtaposition and their unchanging physical features. in their microcosmic expansiveness, they can alternatively convey impressions of joy, sorrow, love, indifference, familiarity as well as inscrutability. They relive potentialities, they entail pensive pasts, they call up imagined futures and they even interrogate their own selves and suppositions.
Patnaik has been working on the Relations series for quite some time now. It will be interesting, therefore, to explore the kind of selves articulated into the batch of works on the Relations series. To begin with, it is informed by a great deal of individuation. There is only one figure—male or female—claiming the central location in a majority of works. The other figure—or figures—hover in the background, in conjunction with characteristically dense networks of lines and shades or constituting the backgrounds themselves.
Intriguingly, the woman figure appears to claim greater attention in the new set of works. Critics and viewers have identified it as a salient feature in Patnaik’s work. As the painter once, it may well have stemmed from a subconscious impulse. He had once attributed it to a deep admiration for his mother, who had boldly taken charge of the family after his father’s premature death. It may have something to do also with his belief that women have the resilience to face any adversity, with their unique calibration of vulnerability and strength. The woman in this series is bold, colorful and forthright. She is ready to face any challenge, even as she celebrates her very existence. The thoughtful, pensive and introspective self for once is matched by an abandon and courage that calls for a direct engagement.
The greys in the frame are often overwritten by bold colors. The man and the woman now wear deeply colored selves. The cohabitation of depth and color appear to call forth a great deal of passion, intensity and vigour. Their strength is no longer implicit, but confidently visible, even if retrained. It is this easy shuffle between the full blooded and the restrained that makes these works some of the most mature in Patnaik’s oeuvre.
Yet, it is the openness of these works that makes them particularly articulate. Patnaik’s figures of man or woman exceed the boundaries of their immediate situation. Sparsely clothed, they appear universal in the appearance, against a highly textured background. The background itself is suggestive, and dense, with layers upon layers of lines mounted with immense passion and dexterity. The density of the background sits in contrast with the minimalist expressions of the figures themselves.
Light, brightness and diversity appear to be a major leitmotif in this series. The pleasantly aggressive brightness— yellow, red, ochre—and the bold, often charged postures, is an unabashed celebration of energy, youth and freedom. There is a spring in the steps of the figures; they enjoy every possibility they imagine and weigh with consideration. This ode to life however is no uncomplicated tribute to raw passion but careful sifting away of excess baggage after long and hard meditations. The figures still struggle with possibilities unexplored, and pasts unrealized, but there is greater abandon in the way they measure each other these days, a delightful disregard to the externalities glowing through the complicated, but bold, background abstractions. The brightness is best seen resonating with a soft autumnal glow, born out of an appreciation for the good things of life without having to compromise on quality.
Written by
AnirbanBandyopadhyay
QUALIFICATION
M.F.A. in painting (Gold Medalist) from BHU Varanasi, 1995.
AWARDS
1991 to 1993 National Cultural Scholarship from Ministry of Human Resource, Development, Deptt. of Culture, Govt, of India, New Delhi.
1991 Gold medal from National Youth Festival.
1991 Silver medal in East Zone Youth Festival, Santiniketan.
1991 Annual Art Exhibition faculty of Visual Art BHU Varanasi.
1991 Ganjam District Drawing Master's Association.
1994 All U.P. State Fine Arts Exhibition organized by W.W.A of Varanasi.
1995 All Orissa Fine Arts Exhibition organized by Lalit Kala Academy.
1995 Junior Fellowship from Ministry of Human Resource Development
1995-1997 Deptt. Of Culture Govt., of India, New Delhi.
1997 All U.P. Fine Art Exhibition organized by AIFACS, New Delhi.
2000 Panth-Ratan Dr. Inderjit Singh Award on 4th BOP Annual Art Exhibition at Chandigarh.
SOLO SHOWS
2002 Chawla Art Gallery, at Marriot Welcome Hotel, New Delhi.
2002 CREATION 2002 at Gallery Leela Kampinski, Mumbai.
2005 Chawla Art Gallery, at 1 MG Road, New Delhi-2003 « Gallery Art Land, Mumbai.
2006 Chawla Art Gallery, at Open Palm Court, IHC, New Delhi.
2007 Chawla Art Gallery, at Square One Mall, Saket, New Delhi.
2008 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai.
2010 Tulika Art Gallery, Mumbai.
2011 Chawla Art Gallery, at Square one Mall, Saket, New Delhi.
2012 ROA Art Gallery, Pal Mall Street, London.
2013 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai.
2013 Chawla Art Gallery, at square one mall, Saket, New Delhi.
2015 Global Art Fair Dubai.
2016 Art Expo, New York.
EXHIBITION PARTICIPATION
1990 to 1995 & 1997 Annual Art Exhibition of Orissa Lalit Kala Academy.
1990 & 1992 All India Fine Arts Exhibition by Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta.
1993 Annual Art Exhibition organized by Rajasthan Lalit Kala Academy, Jaipur.
1990 & 1994 Rashtriya Kala Mela Organized by Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi.
1995 38th National Exhibition of Contemporary Art.
1994 & 1995 All U. P. State Fine art Exhibition organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, Lucknow.
1996 5th Zonal Art Exhibition on occasion of 125th birthday of Rashtra Pita Mahatma Gandhi, Lalit Kala Academy, Lucknow.
1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010 & 2011 Annual All India Art Exhibition of AIFACS.
1996 10th All India Art Exhibition at Nagpur.
1997 All India Fine Art Exhibition Organized by Academy of Arts, Amritsar.
1997 All India Fine Art Exhibition organized by AIFACS on occasion of 50 years of Independence Day
1997 10th Harmony show, Mumbai
2009 India Art Summit.
2011 Florence Biennale- Italy.
2012 India Art Fair- Mumbai.
2011 & 2012 Art Chennai-2011 & 2012 « Art Bengaluru.
2012 & 2013 India Art Fair -New Delhi.
2014 International Art Fair, Singapore.
2014 Sasaran International Art Fair, Malaysia.
2015 The Luxury Festival with Chawla art gallery, New Delhi.
2016 Whispers of our Soul'An Art Exhibition in Taj litreture Festival 2016 at Hotel Clarks Shiraz, Agra.
2016 Art Hamptons. New York
2016 Spectrum Miami
GROUP SHOWS
1991 Rashtriya Kala Kendra, Bhubaneswar.
1994 WAA of Varanasi at Ravindra Bhawan, Delhi.
1994 & 1996 ABC Art Gallery, Varanasi.
2002 Organized by Delhi Tamil Sangam at IHC, New Delhi.
2002 Organized by Aniha Art Gallery at Habitat Center, New Delhi.
2004 Kala Sangam at Nehru Center Mumbai.
2004 Organized by ARTLAND at Hotel Ashok & Hotel Intercontinental. Sponsored by Chivas Regal at ITC Hotel Maurya Sheraton.
2004 Galleria, at Laburnum Club House, Sushant Lok, Gurgaon.
2005 EMBRACE The inclusive art event presented by Chawla Art Gallery and Delhi round table at Hotel Intercontinental Eros, New Delhi.
2005 Sponsored by ABN-AMRO & Ati Art Gallery at Visual Art Gallery, India Habitate Center, New Delhi.
2005, 2006 & 2013 COLORS presented by Gallery Art Land at The Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai.
2006 Presented by EASA & Chawla Art Gallery at Kamal Mahal, Hotel Mourya Sheraton, New Delhi.
2006 Absolute Abstract organized by Ati Art Gallery at ISTANA, Bangalore.
2006 Gimme Red sponsored by Polka Art Gallery, New Delhi.
2007 Sponsored by Gallery Crimsion Hues at MICAArtrium, Singapore.
2007 & 2008 All Indian Art Exhibition on occasion of Republic Day celebration by his Excellency The President of India at RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN.
2007 Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Show presented by Gallery Art Land at Majestic Hotel Tower, Dubai.
2007 Art for Prabhat organized a group show at New Delhi.
2007 Independent India sponsored by Ati Art Gallery at Alliance Francaise Delhi.
2007 60 Milestone an exhibition of 60 years of Independent Indian art at Travancore Art Gallery, New Delhi.
2008 The Sacred Sponsored by Galleria at Visual Art Gallery IHC, New Delhi.
2008 Indo-Russia Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Russian Centre of Science & Culture, New Delhi.
2008 Continuum a special art exhibition in support of Udayan Care at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi.
2008 Indian strokes (a myriad of art) sponsored by KHUSHII.
2008 ANANYA an overview of contemporary Indian art sponsored by Bajaj Capital Art House at Visual Art Gallery, IHC, New Delhi.
2008 India on canvas -Junior sponsored by KHUSHII at Embassy of France, New Delhi.
2009 Group show organized by 'Art for Prabhat' at Open Palm Court, IHC, New Delhi.
2009 FUSION a group show organized by Pink Ginger Arts at Gallery 'G' at Bangalore.
2010 Group Show Sponsored by Alankrita Art Gallery, Hyderabad - 2009. -Annual art show of Pink Ginger Arts at Jehangir Art Gallery.
2010 Maestros XIV at Dhoomimal City Gallery, New Delhi, April.
2009, 2010 & 2011 The Spring Art Loot Organized by Khushii - 2010. -Annual art show of Chawla Art Gallery at IHC, New Delhi.
2010 Rhythm of color a group Show Sponsored by Painted Rhythem Art Gallery, at Jehangir Art Gallery.
2010 Vibgyor a group show sponsored by Gallery Grandeur at Birla Academy, Kolkata.
2010 DEVOTION Transformation Curated by Shushma Bahl at gallery Art Positive, New Delhi.
2010 Nai Ummeed The Art Festival at Plaza Terrace Gardens, The Lalit - New Delhi.
2010 The Capital a group show sponsored by Ray Art Gallery, Pune, at Open Palm Court, IHC, New Delhi.
2011 CENTURION-2011 a group show organized by 'VOICE ON ART'at Visual Art Gallery,
2011 IHC. -Canvases for change organized by Modicare Foundation at Stainless Art Gallery, New Delhi.
2011 Uttar Purab an Exhibition of Contemporary art, Curated by Dr. Archana Roy and sponsored by Emami Chisel at Kolkata.
2012 Evolve organized by Dhoomimal Contemporary Art Gallery, at Mercedes-Benz and at Shridharani Art Gallery, New Delhi.
2012 &2013 India Art Fair, New Delhi.
2011, 2012 & 2013 Group show organized by CADD(Community against Drunken Driving).
2013 Group show organized by Gallery Art Land at Shridharni Art Gallery, New Delhi.
2013 Sixth sense organized a Group show at Kumara Swami Gallery, Mumbai.
2013 Group show organized by Gallery Art Positive.
2013 Group show organized by City Gallery, New Delhi.
2012 to 2015 Group show organized by Gallery Art Zest at Dubai.
2016 The Epic Journey of Indian Art- Festival of India in Kyrgyzsthan & Kazhakistan, Curated by Gargi Seth
2015 ‘Art Walk’ Show by Juneja Art Gallery, Jaipur
2016 Group Show at Juneja Art Gallery, Jaipur,
2016 Group Show by Gallery Artchill, Amber Fort, Jaipur
2018 ‘‘ART IDIOMS - STRAY & MOULDED' Group Show at Juneja Art Gallery, Jaipur.
2019 'Inner voices - outer masks' Group show at Gallery Artchill, Amer Fort, Jaipur.
ART AUCTION
2008 India on canvas-Junior sponsored by KHUSHII at Embassy of France, New Delhi.
2008 Helpage India.
2009 India on canvas organized by 'Khushii' New Delhi.
2012 There is a plan for every child at Pune.
2011, 2012 & 2013 Art Bangaluru a Contemporary Art festival.
2015 Charity Auction for plan India by Burgundy, Pune.
ART CAMP & WORKSHOP
1989 CCRT Workshop, at Bangalore.
1991 All Orissa Artist's Camp Organized by Lalit Kala Academy, Orissa.
1992 Batik Camp and demonstration, Organized by GCACKhallilote.
1998 All India Fine Arts Workshop Organized by National Bal Bhawan, New Delhi.
2002 All India artist's camp organized by Sanskar Bharati, at IGNCAC, New Delhi.
2002 & 2009 All India young Artist camp organized by AIFACS.
2002 Participated in 4 day Artist Camp dedicated to Human "QUEST FOR PEACE" at Secular house Vastu Kala Academy, New Delhi.
2004 Artist camp organized by Urasvati Art Gallery at Kasaulli, H.P.
2005 Participated in VIRASAT 05 held at Dehradun.
2006 All India Artist camp organized by RIF New Delhi.
2007 All India Artist camp organized by Roy Foundation, New Delhi at Jim Corbet National Park.
2007 All India artist camp (ARTISTIC JOURNEY Mumbai to Lakshadweep) by Varna Art Gallery, Hyderabad in Star cruises.
2007 All India Artist camp at Bangkok, Thailand.
2008 All India Artist camp organized by ICA Gallery, Jaipore at Prague.
2008 Sunrise in Italy' all India artist camp organized by Pinkginger Arts, in Italy.
2008 All India Artist camp Organized by G.C.A.C, Baleswar, Orissa-
2009 All India Artist camp, organized by 'Roy Foundation' at Vhimtal.
2010 All India Artist camp, organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi at Shillong.
2010 All India Artist camp, organized by D. P. Dhar Foundation, at Srinagar.
2010 All India Artist camp organized by Voice on Art at Goa.
2012 All India Artist camp Organized by Dhoomimal city gallery at China,
2014 All India Artist camp on Puri Jagannath by Orissa Lalit Kala Academy, at Puri Orissa.
2014 All India Artist camp at India House, Nepal.
2015 'Confluence-15' all India artist camp, Rishikesh-2015 -All India Artist Camp Organized by Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum, Bhopal
2015 International Art Workshop, Bodrum, Turkey.
2015 Yogyakarta International art festival Indonesia.
2015-2016 Global Art Fair, Dubai.
2016 International Art Mart in Khajuraho Dance Festival
2016 'D.P .Dhar International Art camp, Srinagar, Kashmir.
2016 'Art For Impact' All India Artist camp, Hyderabad.
2016 International art camp, Solo, Indonesia,
2016 KKB International Art Festival, Malaysia.