Sumit Sarkar
Residency: Live/Work 02
17 February - 16 June 2014
The work of Sumit Sarkar (UK), is hard to define in any conventional sense, primarily because his references are so diverse, and also because he is involved in a vast range of projects, from set design to digital printing, to drawing, and from small scale to huge. The connecting thread, however, is a dynamic energy which rushes through each piece in a tidal wave of ideas and production.
Influences are multitudinous, but there are overriding elements which can be drawn out, and identified since they crop up multiple times, albeit interpreted in different forms on each occasion. Indian symbols, Indian culture, and Hinduism, are mixed with gaming imagery, street art and graffiti which, rather than creating confusion and muddling the themes, results in a fresh look at the world, and indicates a contemporary mode of thinking. His work reflects a multi-cultural environment, acted on by a myriad ways of thinking and being, in which the rules and strictures of past society have been dispensed with, and re-created in a more modern, more relevant format.
Sarkar’s process is often very technical. In the past he immersed himself in 3D printing, and computer graphics, regarding them as essential tools for generating forms, both two and three dimensional. However, if one looks beyond the technical prowess, they have a sense of flowing intuitively from the mind of the creator, and a sincerity which is compelling. The works are curiosities, engaging with the viewer on that level, but also provoking a deeper contemplation.