Untitled 

Curator: This piece, simply titled "Untitled," presents a contemporary take on figuration, employing mixed media, including acrylics, on canvas. I’m struck by the bold portrait style Sonaly Gandhi brings to the composition. Editor: Immediately, I’m captivated by the woman front and center, she is a vibrant mosaic, a sort of fiery figure almost camouflaged against the cooler figures beside her. What an arresting choice to fragment her so deliberately with those squares. It definitely creates a sensation of unease. Curator: The gridded effect you're noticing highlights a key theme here: the idea of imposed structure, perhaps social conditioning or even digital distortion, on the human form. These visual grids resonate deeply with the institutional controls and classifications often inherent within portraiture and representation. It makes me question the autonomy of identity when framed within these very strict geometric lines. Editor: Absolutely! And what about the play with anonymity? It feels so personal but also very remote. Even with the almost neon-glow orange shades, it does not allow you in fully, so it is very confronting. And the decision to flank her with those darker figures – are they contrasting or complementary, framing or suffocating? Curator: That’s exactly it! They both amplify and diminish the central figure, really playing up tension within the artwork, as if she’s wrestling with these external and internal projections. And it might not be as obvious at first but that's what’s incredible, right? It grows on you. The piece certainly asks for prolonged consideration of how the gaze works, who’s doing the seeing, and under what conditions are they permitted to see. Editor: It is like walking into an unfinished dialogue—which, actually, speaks to a lot of the neo-expressionist traits apparent in this piece and that deliberate incompleteness really does speak to the anxieties of contemporary life. So, with the grid and these layered presences... I see a very modern, potent conversation unfolding. Curator: Exactly, this artwork has truly unveiled layers upon layers for our viewers today! Editor: Definitely food for thought to keep me occupied for the rest of my day.