• Invent God And Then Worship, 2020.
  • Invent God And Then Worship, 2020.

Invent God And Then Worship, 2020.

Leather and paper. 26 x 10 cm.

The lowly slipper has risen to claim its latest victim. A hapless German-English dictionary serves to confront our notions of propriety. Almost comically undersized, it brings to mind the uniquely Indian mob justice netted out to criminals, where a beating with the slipper in public is considered a massive insult. Alternatively, you can also read it as the elevation of the humble slipper to the vahaan of the mighty beacon of knowledge.

Romantic Illusion, 2020.

Romantic Illusion, 2020.

Glass jar and metal balls. 13 x 10 cm.

Squeezed in, bottled and pickled into a life of holy matrimony, the enforced closeness brought on by the lockdown has forced relationships, no matter how amorous earlier, to chafe, exacerbating relationships. And yet they must appear strangely comfortable, wearing each other down as the months drag on. A microcosm of the idea of marriage, a relationship in a bottle.

  • Light Cannot Be Given By Another, 2020.
  • Light Cannot Be Given By Another, 2020.

Light Cannot Be Given By Another, 2020.

Wood, metal, plastic and papier mache. 27 x 42 x 7 cm.

Of all the prompts, Praveen was most inspired to take up the shadow box, the work of Joseph Cornell having the most impact. This work is his first take on the medium, an experiment that blends the found object with his narrative objective. An old clock finds itself ripped of its innards and repurposed to represent the cosmos, the swinging pendulum head a mere apparition floating through existence.

  • If Possible Live Life Daily And Not Just Occasionally, 2020.
  • If Possible Live Life Daily And Not Just Occasionally, 2020.

If Possible Live Life Daily And Not Just Occasionally, 2020.

Wood, plastic, paper and thread. 52 x 31 x 13 cm.

Praveen’s development through the Residency is evident in this finely nuanced shadow box, that seeks subconscious visual cues from the works of the master Joseph Cornell. Working once again with found objects Praveen crafts a tale of nature’s cycle where prey-predator are entwined. And yet it is the human element that overrides all other destructive factors.

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Praveen Naik
Praveen Naik
The assimilator

There are many similarities between Praveen the artist and Praveen the teacher; the need to constantly experiment and learn anew. In opening up his mind to new ideas and ways of making, Praveen reveals his adventurous side. In the midst of a pandemic, the only materials readily available were magazines and journals, prompting a shift in practice. His recent foray into collage is a wonderful insight into how he processes the world around him. His visual language is succinct, he is articulate with materials. His works have a sense of immediacy, lacking in artifice.

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