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In recent times, New Delhi’s Vadehra Art Gallery has been renowned for showcasing some of the best contemporary artists from our country. Once again, the gallery lived up to the billing when it unveiled Jagannath Panda's solo exhibition ‘Echoes of Unfathomed Worlds’ on the 8th of this month. When I look at Panda’s paintings, they appear as vibrant expressionist compositions, loaded with signifiers. His attention to geometric detailing is what stands out most for me but I am a Kandinsky fanboy, so it must not come as any surprise. Let us dive into the essence of Panda’s oeuvre and explore how this exhibition justifiably captures it.
To appreciate Panda’s works, it is worth delving into the philosophical vision driving his artistry. His visual grammar focuses on treating the viewers to realms beyond predictable vision and other usual sensory encounters. Panda's artistic inquiry transcends conventional paradigms and delves into the interplay between natural and constructed spaces, reflecting on urban landscapes shaped by belief, culture, and form. He deconstructs Hindu tenets and uses that as his lens to contemplate the contradictions between infinite, meditative consciousness (prakriti) and manifested changes (vikriti). Through a tactile approach, Panda seeks to illuminate the disjuncture in our contemporary understanding of nature, aiming to activate ruptures and unveil unseen worlds beyond the tangible.
The amalgamation of 26 works in Panda's presentation encompasses diverse subjective areas, including philosophical perspectives, architectural detailing, and personal memories, all interwoven within a grand expression of the cosmos. This collection promises to offer viewers a profound understanding of the boundlessness and qualities of belief, presenting the infinite as a tactile and visual concept through reasoning and reflection.
From fantastical diptychs to processed photographs capturing the essence of bodies in motion, each piece challenges established theories of color, symmetry, and form. The exhibition is a testament to Panda's ability to merge and distort the visual world, unfolding several realities simultaneously. Panda's sculptures, crafted from a diverse array of materials including paper-mâché, rice paper, fabric, and found objects, defy the conventional distinctions between artistic mediums and challenge the dichotomy of art and craft. His photographs, capturing the grace and poise of Odissi dance performers, are infused with intricate details, offering a glimpse into the attentive state of the dancers frozen in time. His works are a grand celebration of the merging of multiple artistic disciplines.
"Panda’s works are a defiant challenge to the very boundaries of reality, pushing us beyond our preconceived limits…stirring up profound depths within our consciousness…Here, the universe is not a far-reaching theory, but a living sensation that envelops us. It is not simply made up of planets and stars, but of intricate components – fabric, salvaged items, pieces of text – an intricate mosaic of myths, shapes, and the quintessential human spirit."
Premjish Achari, curator, writer and film-maker
About the artist:
Born in 1970 in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, Jagannath Panda completed a BFA from the B.K. College of Arts & Crafts, Bhubaneshwar, in 1991, and an MFA from the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda, in 1994. He also completed an MFA in sculpture from the Royal College of Arts London in 2002.
Panda has had or participated in significant exhibitions around the world, including Visions from India hosted by the Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, Ohio (2020–21); the Jeju World Natural Heritage Center, Korea (2019); Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi (2019); Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2018); Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi (2017); the Modern Art Museum, Shanghai (2016); among others. Panda was commissioned by the Jio World Convention Centre in 2022. His works are also included in the collections of GVK Mumbai International Airport; Mori Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan; Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. His unbridled talent and skill have garnered him widespread recognition across South Asia, Europe and parts of America.
ECHOES OF UNFATHOMED WORLDS
Exhibition on till: January 19 2024
Venue: Vadehra Art Gallery, D-53 Defence Colony, New Delhi
