Nayanaa Kanodia

A Tryst With Destiny

“After the trauma, shock and melancholy of the pandemic years, we have now made peace with our tryst with destiny.

We now survive with materiality, joy, sorrow and humor. I absorb the vast spectrum of our environment with an open minded cognition, comprehension and a humorous approach to my intense perceptions. I picturise the intersection between the illusions of thought and the cognition of foresight and imagination. Considered as the foremost artist of the L’Art Naif genre, my colorful images are a manifestation of the uniqueness of the Indian situation where westernization took place without replacing basic  traditional traits of identity which is the root of Indian society. 

Through my brightly coloured paintings with figures looking straight out from the canvas, I bring a contemplative mirror effect in the viewer’s mind, in which the duality of observer and observed gradually disappears. 

Another chief element of my work is multiple narrations in one frame with vivacious depictions of visual symbols of everyday life, intricate patterns and details where I present a picture within a picture to indicate toward the experiential perplexity rooted in the multiplicity of reality.

I believe in constructing fantastic versions of accessible scenes, both rural and urban utopias. A picture of the moment is built in which whole histories and relationships are made visible. My work is all about time and through my paintings, time is movement held still.

One can grasp the complexity and nuance of my vision only after abandoning society’s typical notions and then keenly observing the relationships and components at play. The projected images serve as a
veneer, behind which an infinite number of experiences and interpretations are possible. Behind the pedantically accurate and yet often misjudged scene, the world is so true, naked and ludicrous that we gasp as we recognize it. In spite of the lure of the luxurious comforts of home, man embraces nature. Ideas flow, senses come alive, and we come to terms with our existence and our destiny. I explore this aspect in my visual narrative.

My body of work shows the close bond man has with nature, a union that helps him regain his lost innocence, enjoying a solace that can be derived from the peace and quiet of our environment. Although a number of the paintings are set indoors, trees, foliage and birds are skillfully integrated, the works evoke the light and sensation of wandering in an ornamental garden.”

Nayanaa Kanodia