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Lot Essay
Capitalizing on the post-modern tendency towards ironic juxtaposition, Dodiya's works convey complex messages of life in his native country. Executed as painterly collages, his canvases echo the raw and graffiti-ed art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, while at the same time maintaining a skilled handling of paint that enable him to accommodate styles as varied as the photorealism of Gerhard Richter and the slick acrylic paintings of David Hockney.
This work was created by Dodiya for the exhibition Visions of Landscape curated by Ranjit Hoskote, which featured seven artists all interpreting the genre of landscape from their distinct points of view. While considering the possibilities, Dodiya chose to focus on the Horizon, perhaps one of the fundamental features of a landscape painting. Dividing the work into two, the earth and the cosmos above it, Dodiya added a short text in Sanskrit from the Hindu scripture of the Upanishads. Literally translating to it moves, and it doesn't move, it is close and it is far at the same time.
In a recent discussion with the artist, Dodiya explained that the dog could also be seen as a reference to himself, as he attempts to experience the vastness of both the physical and spiritual landscapes before him. At the bottom of the painting, Dodiya has painted in a house, signifying the importance of belonging and stressing the fact that one can travel to the end of the earth but eventually, one always comes back to one's own roots. In this case - home.
This work was created by Dodiya for the exhibition Visions of Landscape curated by Ranjit Hoskote, which featured seven artists all interpreting the genre of landscape from their distinct points of view. While considering the possibilities, Dodiya chose to focus on the Horizon, perhaps one of the fundamental features of a landscape painting. Dividing the work into two, the earth and the cosmos above it, Dodiya added a short text in Sanskrit from the Hindu scripture of the Upanishads. Literally translating to it moves, and it doesn't move, it is close and it is far at the same time.
In a recent discussion with the artist, Dodiya explained that the dog could also be seen as a reference to himself, as he attempts to experience the vastness of both the physical and spiritual landscapes before him. At the bottom of the painting, Dodiya has painted in a house, signifying the importance of belonging and stressing the fact that one can travel to the end of the earth but eventually, one always comes back to one's own roots. In this case - home.