Anunay Rai

Lives and works in New Delhi, Delhi, India

Artist statement

When I was 10 years old, I fell from a Guava tree and hit my head on a concrete slab. Surprisingly the slab cracked, and my head was unhurt. I have thought a lot about it but there cannot be any other reason for my love for concrete. While exploring different mixes, molds, and pigments more room was created for new materials and I started making my own substrates to work on. The forms are often derived from utilitarian objects. And the abstraction starts at the stage of substrate creation, where often random objects leave their impression and sometimes become a part of the work. The spontaneous impressions are a starting point for me to then work on with paints, pigments, coal, sawdust to even cow dung. Wood and wires hold them together both physically and conceptually. Working on multiple pieces at a time I like the energies and experiences of different days pour into the work. The tussle between a spiritual and secular life is the stimulus for my expressions. My work questions the fixed notion of beauty and explores the sculptural potential of paintings and vice versa. Inspired by Richard Artschwager, I do not want to fit into any category or be constrained by any medium. Education in Design and 17 years of experience in advertising gave me exposure to different mediums and visual language. No computer fell on my head, but I am currently exploring Generative Art with the possibility of rendering it to physical substrates. The Guava tree incident happened in 1990 in...

Artwork