Artist captures moments of rest amid capitalist rat race

The exhibition features four acrylic works on 6×3 feet canvas with human subjects getting a shut-eye, on public benches or in front of closed shops.

31-year-old artist has put up an exhibition titled ‘Shastri Rasta Pune – 30’, immortalising the everyday life of citizens using the Shastri Road for their everyday commute. (Express)

“The works capture individuals catching up on their rest in the middle of their rat race life. It also makes an attempt to question the capitalist-driven life people lead, the larger-than-life dream these individuals must have had for themselves and how sleep becomes a distant need as one goes up the financial ladder,” he said.

Among other pieces of the series, Pande’s portraits were inspired by the visuals of migrant workers and the common people braving the pandemic which circulated online.

“My work has been primarily on how society shapes and works around us on a day-to-day basis and how it internally impacts us all,” he said.

Among other pieces of the series, Pande’s portraits were inspired by the visuals of migrant workers and the common people braving the pandemic which circulated online. (Express)

Switching to water colour, Pande made an attempt to grasp people lost in thought or engaged in leisure thinking. “We have so many sculptures and paintings of great philosophers and thinkers lost in thought. Using the fluidity and flexibility of water colours at my disposal, I wished to have the common man on my canvas, lost in his thought, whether amid worries or hope,” he said.

Pande was recently offered the Rangasetu scholarship by the Maharashtra Cultural Centre. “At the end of the year, the plan is to have this series with more new work, presented on a much bigger scale,” said Pande.