Scientist artist's solo show explores life's journey

New York-based Indian visual artist, scientist and entrepreneur Sukant Khurana in his first solo art exhibition here attempts to present a commentary on the journey of his life both in the US and in various parts of India.
Titled 'Making Via Unmaking' the show is a collection of about 60 works of art, which "are mostly mixed media, with acrylic on canvass being a dominant component, closely followed by spray paints and the use of fire."
The display, which began at the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society on June 3, according to curator Aakshat Sinha, represents a full celebration of pain, pleasure and joy in a brutally honest way."

Khurana's art pieces, says Sinha, involves "painting and repainting, tempering and weathering of works with elements of nature and beyond."
The artworks are distinctive that they have been put out in ice and rain, molded by fire and tempered with knife and then brushed up to heal. Some works bear marks of bullet shots while some other canvases carries upto 70 layers of paint.
The Delhi-born artist, who grew up in India before moving to the US for a Ph.D. In neuroscience in 2003 says through the process of art and creative writing, he continues to explore "life's journey, previous experiences of getting stuck in futile efforts, making via unmaking, breaking free from loops, correcting mistakes, and finally finding direction and joy."

Khurana's display has been broken down into themes he has titled - 'Circling While', 'Fake Smiles' and 'Breaking Free'.

"This exhibition is meant to perturb more than please, provoke more than cater to aesthetic needs. Most of these paintings were made in the US but some in India too, with some works taking years to complete," says the artist.
The artist who teaches concepts of statistics, artificial
intelligence, and data visualisation, in addition to neuroscience to biologists describes his art as an "emotional reality of modern urban chaotic selfish life."
"At best a twisted mirror of reality or a simple mirror of a very twisted reality. I work to create better realities or seek better realities and my art reflects that too just as it reflects inner and outer struggles. Instead of being tied to a style, my work is a new synthesis of media and styles to capture my ongoing feelings," he says.

In the first part of the series, 'Fake Smiles' Khurana attempts to capture the fake smiles sported by "almost everybody" in a materialistic and artificial life.
In the second part, he explains ,"Path of life is rarely linear and we keep going round and round in circles till some of us momentarily break free".
The third part, 'Breaking Free' are simpler celebrations of artwork that are put into a washing machine and reworked again to represent the uncaring attitude of the isolated modern man "who keeps dying everyday."
Apart from the physical exhibition the artist says the exhibiton is planned for over 100 plus digital works on same themes. The exhibition of Khurana works which are on permanent exhibit at McGovern Center, Beijing is scheduled to go on here till June 9.