Exhibitions

Lot 217

Nayanaa Kanodia
Mrs. Maheshwari

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Speaking about her art, Nayanaa Kanodia says, “As a contemporary artist, my work is a reflection of the changing face of our nation, through the images of the notable celebrities and public figures, the urban elite, and the common man on the street. The acute static demeanor of my portrayals lends itself to movement through the vehicles of vibrant and dynamic colors, the composition of patterns and intense details, and the gentle Indian spirit reminiscent of centuries past fusing with the invasion of modern advents and amenities.

“Each depiction is charged with innocuous humor personifying the subtle ironies that permeate daily life, which lay in harmony, and yet in conflict with the collision of East and West. My paintings are charged with deceptive simplicity, a mirthful lyricism, and a spirit of authenticity. Together, they coalesce to form insightful documentations, a visual timeline of our society through the lens of everyday occurrences, objects, and people. Around each corner of our cities and villages, we encounter a common and still forgettable site of an overcrowded café, a bustling street, or a flower vendor, yet our deadness of seeing leads us to deplorably disregard the modest and unscathed beauty of our rich culture.

“Many pieces reflect an unkempt maelstrom that has engulfed our transitioning society, providing fuel to a raging dichotomy where on the one hand we have people tenaciously clinging to their roots, fearing the extinction of their cultural identities, and on the other hand we have the birth of a new generation dependent upon progressive conveniences.

“Through my images of India’s vast panorama, these paintings provoke a heightened consciousness and challenge the viewer to consider the reigning and ever-transforming civilization. In my paintings a picture of the moment is built up in which whole histories and relationships are made visible .These paintings are moments of pleasure held forever. They are about time and time in paintings is movement stilled. There is a sense of fun that is sometimes picaresque, that verges hesitantly on the erotic, but excels in the shrewd tongue- in –cheek observation of individual psychology and the customs and manners of groups.”

Speaking of her work, Ranjit Hoskote notes, “Unusually for a contemporary artist, Nayanaa’s paintings originate in an unalloyed pleasure, a viewerly enjoyment of visual surface, narrative depth, and the games that artists play with their audiences. Nayanaa Kanodia approaches the history of art in a spirit of playful homage. Her chosen instruments are an attentive irreverence that is never destructive, a gift for understated comedy, and a conviction that art and life can interweave in the most remarkable ways. Nayanaa does not regard art as a universe separate and remote from the concerns of ordinary life. In Nayanaa’s paintings, waking life and the life of dream flow together. They are high-spirited, wry, votive and witty. Nayanaa handles her materials with a lively and confident lightness of touch. However, despite appearances to the contrary, Nayanaa’s art is sustained by a certain seriousness of purpose.”

Nayanaa Kanodia was born in 1950 in Pune, Maharashtra. She has had no formal training in art except for a year's apprenticeship with Anjolie Ela Menon. She had her first solo show in Mumbai in 1986 and has held numerous exhibitions since then in India and abroad. In 1998, she was selected by the Commonwealth Institute for a solo show in their newly renovated complex in London. In 2001 she was invited by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, to exhibit her work and to give a demonstration of her technique. She has also participated in many group shows nationally and internationally including, most recently, ones at the Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, in 2007; South Africa in 2007; and Singapore in 2006. Kanodia's work is held in many public and private collections in India and abroad including the Musée International d'Art Naïf, Paris.

The artist lives and works in Mumbai. -
Speaking about her art, Nayanaa Kanodia says, “As a contemporary artist, my work is a reflection of the changing face of our nation, through the images of the notable celebrities and public figures, the urban elite, and the common man on the street. The acute static demeanor of my portrayals lends itself to movement through the vehicles...

Other works of artist

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