Urban decay
Artist Sayantan Samanta's creation reflects the disheartening transformation of agricultural lands into concrete jungles.
“I belong to a family where agriculture is practiced as a prime occupation. I have witnessed and watched fertile lands being used for constructing buildings. Those experiences inspired me to work on a series of three dimensional works that resemble a construction site in progress,” narrates artist Sayantan Samanta, whose work titled Vivid landscape is presently on display at Kalakriti Art Gallery as a part of the group show, Sands of Time.
Describing his work, the artist says, “This is one of the smallest works done in this style as I have executed eight feet high and larger sized models too. I have been carrying out a comprehensive and complex research in this subject for the last four years.” A student of Fine Arts from Kolkata, Sayantan is frequently invited to several international and national art residencies. His present work has been executed using cement board, brass, fibre glass and clay.
The compact design with multiple floors and vertical divisions inside makes for an intriguing experience which is very similar to traversing through a real under construction structure. Yet, the uneven base and the natural looking ground on which the structure is placed reminds one of the fields and natural terrain. The colour scheme is muted and neutral and the top most level is full of many small brass pipes, which resemble the logs used in real construction sites to support the floor just after a fresh slab is laid.
“I basically draw out the imagery through an interdisciplinary process like sculpture and installation. But I prefer to call my work methodology as “sculptural installation”, says Sayantan.