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Lot 15

Though individually, each motif that Sakti Burman employs in his figurative canvases may seem familiar, the realities that they come together to create are anything but recognizable. Frequently referred to as an `alchemist of dreams`, Burman`s complex, otherworldly images are condensed through both experience and fantasy. As Burman`s biographer, Manasij Majumder, explains, “Each of Sakti`s canvases looks as finished as a meticulous filigree... Though individually, each motif that Sakti Burman employs in his figurative canvases may seem familiar, the realities that they come together to create are anything but recognizable. Frequently referred to as an `alchemist of dreams`, Burman`s complex, otherworldly images are condensed through both experience and fantasy. As Burman`s biographer, Manasij Majumder, explains, “Each of Sakti`s canvases looks as finished as a meticulous filigree work. He creates a chequered chromatic surface of visual splendour by means of a dense network of varied tones and textures charged in every detail with strong but disciplined aesthetic stimulation” (Sakti Burman: Dreamer on the Ark, Pundole Art Gallery, 2001, p. 10).

Burman`s multicolored worlds bring together memories from the artist`s childhood with more recent experiences, including a second childhood he lives vicariously through grandson Ganapathy. This iridescent canvas from 2004 shows several children at play in a wondrous garden, where the world will always be joyous; for them as well as the artist. Titled A Certain Moment in Time, this painting links the ordinary playground of swings and bicycles, with an extraordinary one where children can ride on magic carpets and befriend mythic creatures.

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