With remnants of Surrealism and Dadaism, Tanmoy Samanta’s practice captures notions traditionally associated with sculpture, through his use of tempera on paper and drawing from memory and imagination. Samanta begins a painting by layering rice paper onto a thicker base, using a series of colours going from dark to light. His work revolves around the ideas of belonging, habitation and the slow transformation of spaces. This minimalist style evokes within the viewer an immediate sense of remembrance and nostalgia. In Obscure Objects, the playful nature of the ordinary objects act as windows or an escape to the everyday.

Of the work, curator Veeranganakumari Solanki says, “A set of seven works … is reminiscent of forms that appear familiar but cannot easily be identified. This familiarity opens up a new world of discovering, imagining and constructing memories and thoughts… The hints of identity that we may claim to know are never confirmed. Some are recognisable suggestions, while others are skewed beyond recognition by thought and time, reminiscing our associations with portraits from various periods.”